Lantern Light
by dave-d
Summary: Tsunade has dusted off some old traditions. Naruto finds himself ordered back to Konoha. He figures it's all a big waste of time. Worse, he's afraid it will be a chance to embarrass himself terribly, or end up lonely and sad. [N x H] MODIFIED 12 '05
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

Damn.

This is ridiculous.

I have to worry about Akatsuki. I need to train more with that perverted Sennin.

Those things don't get done by themselves!

I'm certain there are missions that need to be performed. The coffers of Konoha do not fill themselves. _Right? _It's just another stupid, emotional, pointless decision made by a woman Hokage.

'Woman Hokage'. Isn't that an oxymoron or something? _Geez. _Why did I help bring Old Lady Tsunade back? Jiraiya should just have sucked it up and done what he had to do. So, he would look pretty funny in that tri-corner hat. Sure, the council members would have made him stop peeking in on pretty girls with his telescope. But, he would have been a better leader. _Idiot!_

But n_-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o. _He and I had to walk all that distance… check all those places… and spend all _my_ money, just to bring that annoying woman back. _Damn._

OK. So it's going to be the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. It's not like this is the first time that has happened. Big freakin' deal! Furthermore, I can't give a rat's ass whether someone wants to call that day 'Double Seven Day'. They can do that to their hearts content. Just don't pester _me_ with it!

If they want to call it 'The Night of Sevens' instead? They can knock themselves out; but, don't drag me into the whole mess! You people who want to get all traditional and call it 'Seventh Sister's Birthday'? Have your fun; but, don't force me to dust off your old traditions. 'The Night of Skills'? Whoopee! 'Star Festival'? Wow. I can't wait! _Morons!_

You might as well call it 'The Night of Pissing Naruto The Hell Off'. Hah.

No, I have a better one. How about 'The Night of F-cking Wasting My Time'. Yeh.

None of this is going to make me stronger. None of that is going to keep Kyuubi out of the hands of The Nine. Pointless. Annoying. Nonsense

In the past, young girls used to demonstrate their domestic arts on this day and make wishes for a wonnnnnnnderful husband. Good for them. The past is the past. Today is today. I'm busy worrying about whether or not I will even _have_ a future. Does it matter if some girl is particularly good at cutting and serving melon? Crap!

Yeh. I've heard the sing-song. In late summer, the stars Altair and Vega are high in the night sky. Blah bal blah. Why did _that _put a bug up the Ancients' butts and cause them to tell so many different variations of one love story. If it's so damn traditional, can't they settle on _one_ friggin' story? Oh. And it's such an exciting story, _isn't_ it?

_A young cowherd named Niu Lang happens across seven fairy sisters bathing in a lake. _

Well, it was Niu Lang in a number of stories. In others he was called Kengyuh. In some he was just the Ox Puller. Wonderful. Ox Puller. Who wouldn't die for a name like _that?_ And who wouldn't give their last shuriken to be a cow herder. Spiffy story they chose to base a festival on. At least there's a part about bathing babes!

When's the last time I was lucky to stumble across _that? _Well, quite frequently actually, when I was back training with that big hairy idiot. I mean, when was the last time when that happened to me on my own.

_Encouraged by his mischievous companion the ox, he steals their clothes and waits to see what will happen next. The fairy sisters elect the youngest and most beautiful sister Zhi Nü to retrieve their clothing. She does so, but since Niu Lang sees her naked she must agree to his request for marriage. _

Shit. Why doesn't Granny Tsunade just do _that? _She should send the female shinobi running down the streets of Konoha naked. The weaver girls, too. It wouldn't matter if they were named Zhi Nü, Orihime, and Princess Shokujo, or Sakura, Ino, and Ten Ten. I wouldn't care whether or not they represent the star Vega.

_Zhi Nü proves to be a wonderful wife, and Niu Lang a good husband, and they are very happy together. But when the Goddess of Heaven finds out that a mere mortal has married one of the fairy girls, she becomes furious._

Jiraiya had made it a point to read a number of different versions of the story to him. Of courses, he did it in front of the women at his favorite shops, looking for their approval. In some of the stories, it was the Goddess of Heaven who had her panties in a knot. In others, it was Zhi Nü's mother or father. There had been one that pointed the finger at Celestial Emperor Tentei.

Naruto pointed his middle finger at nothing in particular. He was in one of those moods. Why did there have to be so many versions of the same story? Because there had been a lot of lazy storytellers who would steal other's people's stuff, change it a little, and then claim it for their own. Something like that was OK with jutsus: Kakashi's sharingan eye rocks! Well, it's not all good: Sasuke's and Itachi's sharingan eyes suck.

_Taking out her hairpin, the Goddess scratches a wide river in the sky to separate the two lovers forever, thus forming the Milky Way separating Altair and Vega. _

That's another thing! Why do all of the old stories have to bring astronomy into it. Maybe the Ancient dumb asses were too stupid to do anything but sit staring at the sky!

_Zhi Nü must sit forever on one side of the river, sadly weaving on her loom, while Niu Lang watches her from afar and takes care of their two kids But once a year all the magpies in the world take pity on them and fly up into heaven to form a bridge over the star Deneb in the Cynus Constellation so the lovers may be together for a single night._

You guessed it: the seventh night of the seventh moon. We're all saved! Carve another picture of Tsunade on the Cliffside. This time, do it from the rear, with her bending over!

It's an abuse of power. Pure and simple. If she wanted to blow some of the dust off of things like _Qi Qiao Jie _night, couldn't she have done it with getting all creative? No. Couldn't she had done it without involving him!

It's no skin off my nose if a festoon is placed in everybody's yard, and the single and newly married women in the household make an offering to Niu Lang and Zhi Nu. They don't have to use fruit, flowers, tea, and facial powder, as far as I'm concerned. They can take a dump if they like. Do I care?

What does it matter, when the offering is done, that half of the facial powder will be thrown on the roof and the other half divided among the young women? It won't make me any stronger, and it won't keep me from getting any sleep. Then again, anything that can have the girls looking better is OK by me.

Shit. As if any of them will ever take notice of me, whether they're pretty or not.

Granny Tsunade also encouraged everyone to borrow a little bit from all of the similar ceremonies. Why? Isn't one enough? What good is it going to do Konoha to have everyone displays bamboo branches decorated with long narrow strips of colored paper and other small ornaments and talismans? I bet that will have Itachi pissing in his pants, or make Kisame run and join a monastery. Right?

But there's more! What more could we possibly ask for? Why, for the paper strips to be inscribed with poems expressing the wish for fulfillment of romantic aspirations, of course! Thanks. That's all I need. For everyone _else_ to have those types of dreams fulfilled.

At least the stupid things won't clutter up the place for too long. At the end of the festivities, the bamboo branches are to be thrown into the river to be carried away, thereby dispelling misfortune. Or so the old traditions say. I know better. If I train, _that _will help dispel misfortune.

That will wash most of the crap away from the village. I'm all for that. But why will a lot of farmers put some of the leftover stuff in rice paddies? The 'means of repelling insects' makes some sense. The 'thanksgiving offering for what is hoped will be a bounteous harvest' part is nothing but mumbo jumbo.

I think I will tell Tsunade that. Right to her face. After I watch everybody set straw figures of men and animals afloat in small boats, of course! Does anybody _really _believe that if they do that, their sins and stains of evil will be transferred to these straw figures and floated away? Sure. It _has_ to happen, since they gave the whole rite a big fancy name. _Nemurinagashi. _"Floating away sleep." All based on the notion that evil or misfortune could be cast off like shaking off harmful sleep.

I wish I could shake off my sleep and find I was just dreaming!

Any way, I certainly have words for the Hokage. I'll let her know that I will _not_ do any of the things that her scroll said were mandatory. She can throw me in the dungeon for all I care. A man has to put his foot down somewhere, doesn't he?

Make streamers made from colorful strips handmade paper, symbolizing the threads woven by Zhi Nü? Wrong. Won't happen.

Fold a bunch of origami cranes, 'betokening' wishes for the safety and health of the family? Blow me!

Cut out and write tanzaku, small rectangular-shaped paper with wishes written on them? Guess again. When was the last time I ever had one of my wishes answered?

Wear some kind of kamigoromo? A stinking paper kimono? Stupid ritualistic nonsense.

Go around passing out the kuzukago trash bags, symbolizing cleanliness and thriftiness?

Try and make me! I'm not a garbage man.

And then, there's the whole bit about the lanterns. Lanterns, for crying out loud. Who thought up this stuff? Didn't they have anything better to do with their lives?

There's only one good part. The curfew. It's lifted tonight. But, what good will that do, if the All Nite restaurants are closed because of the stupid festivities? All so a bunch of guys could go wandering about, giving their lanterns to a bunch of girls. Why should any of us care about the old traditions? Do we really want to go back to the days when all of the young people were chaperoned around the streets in hopes of finding love, and matchmakers were busy pairing off couples? Those with brightest lanterns were deemed good luck and hope.

Hell, maybe I can shove a lantern up my ass and act like I'm a freaking firefly! I bet that will bring a lot of good luck.

It's almost like we're supposed to act like children again. Like my childhood is something I want to do over again! Not only that, Tsunade and the damn elders are trying to meddle in our social lives. Why don't _they_ buy all the lanterns they want and go off and party, remembering when they were still young?

This year, it will be the guys who do the hard part. We all need to pick out lanterns. Then we need to find a present to give to some girl. Any girl. At least, any girl who'll accept the frigging thing.

If the girl accepts the present, she will take the lantern. After that, it's up to that couple. They can head on over to the meeting hall and meet their friends, joining in the festivities.. They can say good night and head their separate ways. Or, they can decide to do something else together.

Guys walking around late at night with lanterns will be an easy mark. Girls sitting alone in the dark will be even worse off. Since all lanterns needed to be accounted for by midnight, he couldn't just toss his down some alley.

Sure, some people will probably think it's all fun, a nice break from the serious stuff we deal with every day. But, what do those type of people know? For everyone who enjoys himself, there will probably be at least one or two people who get hurt, feel put out, or simply end up miserable. What's the point of that?

Finally. The gates of the village. It's good to see them again. At least it would be, under different circumstances.

Wait. What is all _that? _Why is the road so crowded? Monks? Dancers? Traditional singers? It sounds like someone is strangling cats!

This is a test. That's it. The teachers all want to see what students will buckle under this kind of torture, giving away important secrets. I'm close. Real close. Hey everybody. Come one come all. Secrets for sale!

And, what's with that song? Geeez. I guess you can't have a stupid old festival without a stupid old song. Great. Just great.

_-_

_Somewhere I hear a voice calling._

_But looking around I see no one._

'_Here I am!' says the voice._

_But besides the voice I can see no shape._

'_Let's go together!' Says the voice whose shape I can't see._

'_Lets go and look for what you prize!'_

_Says the voice whose shape I cant see._

_-_

For what I prize? When did that ever really matter? All that anyone really cares about is keeping that f-cking fox locked up. Right?

-

'_Lets go and look for what you treasure!'_

'_Look at the shining of the water!' says the voice._

_Beyond the voice is a twinkling light_

_A large river slowly flowing along._

'_What you prize is the shining of that water!'_

_-_

No. What I would prize right now is a glass of water. Make that a bucket of water and a troop of Kemi Butai to shut those idiots up.

-

'_Look at the colors of those flowers!' says the voice._

'_There are many flowers blooming here and there'_

'_What you treasure are the colors of so many flowers!'_

_-_

Uh huh. Sure. If you say so. Colors. Flowers. Somehow, Ero-sennin left that part of my education out. I feel so deprived. Sniff. Sniff.

-

'_Look at that window!' says the voice._

'_You count the number of the stars. As you_

_count the number of your hopes.'_

'_From that window you can see what you treasure.'_

'_Your dreams you mustn't ever lose!'_

_-_

The number of my hopes? I hope to be Hokage some day. I hope to be alive tomorrow. I hope I don't make a fool of myself.

-

'_For you, what is the thing you prize?'_

'_It is, I see, holding the hand of the one you love,' says the voice._

'_Feel it is so warm. The warmth of what you prize.'_

'_For you, what is the thing you treasure?'_

'_It is, I see, looking into the eyes of the one you love,' says the voice._

_-_

It's just another sign that the whole festival idea is working wonders. Thanks a lot, Old Lady. I love you, village elders. Let me know when the next election is, city councilmen. I thought the whole idea of a festival was to have fun.

Getting me to think about all the troubles I have is a lot of fun. Know what's better? Getting me to see how different I am than everyone else. The thing I prize? The one I love?

There will never be anything like that for me.


	2. Getting Ready

_Scrolls._

Why were there so many damn scrolls? Who could read all these in a lifetime?

There were hundreds of rolled parchments lining the large cabinets and shelves. They looked to be kept in some kind of order. For a moment, Naruto tugged at his ear, grinning an impish grin.

"I wonder what Old Lady Tsunade would do if these were accidentally messed up?"

No. He would never do that. First, he was almost a young adult now, not a child. Second, the scrolls might contain information that was crucial to the safety of the Hidden Leaf Village. And third, he had no desire to be on the receiving end of _Isshi Rensshin._

_Herbs._

There were a lot of dried plants and things, too. Glass jars and urns were filled with countless types of roots, leaves, seed pods, and stems. Naruto scratched the back of his neck, picturing what might happen if Shizune, Tsunade, or any of the medical ninjas found a little something 'extra' in their jars. It would serve them right, making him wait in a room without restroom facilities.

No. He wouldn't do that either. Just like he wouldn't spit or sneeze in anything. He was nearly a man. As it was, he was already doing man's work. That's what really pissed him off. He was pulled away from that kind of stuff by a woman. Not just any woman, but one with delusions of grandeur and stuff.

"Hey! Maybe she'll make a bet with me. If I win, I go home. If she wins, I stay." Naruto smirked. "It ought to be a piece of cake, going up against the Legendary Sucker." Fat chance that the Hokage would give him that satisfaction.

The angry young ninja looked around Tsunade's office. Huge open books covered the oaken desk. Food boxes, plates, and glasses were left over from long study sessions. Piles of intelligence reports, census records, and assignment sheets threatened to spill over onto the floor. He squinted. The curtains were pulled away from huge windows, and the bright light made it hard to see the whole expanse of the room from where he sat.

"This sucks…" Naruto was growing more exasperated by the moment. Perched lightly on his chair, rocking it as far back and forward as he could, he imagined all of the things he was going to say when Godaime finally made her appearance. "If I'm late, I get yelled at. But it's alright for her to wander in whenever she pleases…"

Finally, he heard the sound of approaching voices. A number of people held a short conversation just outside of one of the smaller doors. He strained as hard as he could, but couldn't make out any of the words. Were they talking about him? Maybe. Women were like that! Especially women over thirty five or forty. Maybe talking was all they could do at that age.

"Bored I bet." Tsunade walked in. She was wearing her official robes of state and looked unbelievably weary. "Probably pissed off, too." She managed a brief smile. "But, I'll let you know up front: I'm tired… I still have a lot to do… and now is _not_ a good time to argue with me."

Naruto frowned. He clenched his fists. His eyes narrowed. "Old Lady, I just finished the whole damn walk without resting. _I'm_ tired too. And let me tell you…" Naturally, he wasn't going to pay any attention to her warning. Why start now?

Tsunade walked over to stand by her cluttered desk. She flicked one finger with such force, that the paperweight striking Naruto in the forehead had him and his rolling end over end, until they hit the far wall with a loud 'thump'. A number of attendants ran in to see if something was wrong, but the Hokage waved them away.

"Memo to myself," the Hokage spoke aloud. "Speak to Jiraiya about manners and etiquette." She yawned. "After that, insist that he instructs Naruto in same."

Naruto stood up, rubbing his chest. That had hurtTossing the paperweight in his hand, he smirked. He had gotten stronger. He had some tricks up his sleeve. It didn't matter that she was the Hokage… she started it!

"Try it, brat." Tsunade said, her eyes flashing. "I have a new paralysis jutsu that I have been meaning to try." She yawned again. "Or, a kunai with a bit of curare ought to keep you still for a while. It might mean a change in plans, but I think the village might get a kick out of seeing me put you across my lap and give you a spanking." She rubbed her eyes. "If I sold tickets for people to watch me paddle your behind, I bet I could make enough money to pay for this year's budget."

Naruto shook with rage. He had _not_ been a baby when he left. This was three years later!

"So, tell me how your training is going." The Hokage smoothly changed direction, speaking in a more conversational tone. " Hungry?" A large smile lit her face for a brief instant. She was very fond of Naruto.

Naruto scowled. How did she keep doing that all the time? He couldn't help but smile in return. "I'm starving. I wanted to get something to eat in one of the small towns on the way, but that damn Ero-sennin had emptied out my frog purse again." He almost drooled when Tsunade rang the bell. It was a Pavlovian reaction. That bell meant food. Soon enough, one of the Hokage's aides came in carrying a tray of sliced fruit and carved meat.

"I hope Jiraiya has been feeding you something more than noodles," Tsunade said, tapping her cheek with one finger. The food was disappearing at such a rate, that she almost wondered if Naruto had created a set of invisible clones. "I guess he must have, seeing how much you've grown."

"Yeh," Naruto said between slurps and chews. "The hairy old bastard feeds me well. He also shares his sake and takes me with him to do his research." He flinched when he heard Tsunade slap the desk top. Looking over, he saw that she had a rather irritated look on her face. "He's also a kick ass teacher." Naruto held his arm up, flexed, and made a muscle. Pushing aside the last of the bowls, he began to tell her about the things he had done.

The young shinobi spent an hour talking about his training progress. Tsunade's arm grew tired from ringing her small bell. Her assistants gave her sour looks each time they came back from the kitchen with a bundle of food in their arms. Finally, two impossible things happened at nearly the same moment. Naruto felt sated, and he ran out of words.

"Hey, Granny Tsunade… wake up!"Naruto had been so busy talking and bragging, that he hadn't realized that the Hokage had fallen asleep at some point. That really had him feeling steamed. What's worse, he made the mistake of opening his mouth. If he had been smart, he would have snuck out and left her snoozing. Damn.

"Hmmmm. _Ahhhhh._ What?"Tsunade raised her head off of her desk, the imprint from her official stamp decorating one cheek.Ohhh. Naruto. Thanks." Tsunade smiled. "You _could_ have snuck off." She laughed, seeing Naruto's face. "But, that would have had me sending an ANBU squad out after you.

"Yeh.. Sure. Right." Naruto frowned. Go right ahead. Rub it in. "Like you'd waste their time with something like _this."_ He froze, seeing the look on Tsunade's face.

"I'm not joking," the Hokage said, her voice very serious. "You seem to think that this is some kind of game. It's not. Nothing that involves you is a game." She sighed. "As it is, the village elders want you confined to Konoha. Not only that, they want to restrict the missions you can go out on. You're a pawn in Akatsuki's plans, and that has them very worried." She narrowed her eyes. "Me too."

"That's not fair. You're not going to do what they say, _are_ you?" Naruto stood up abruptly, spilling a plate of octopus balls and grilled squid.

"Not if you behave," Tsunade said, a calculating look in her eyes. "If you catch my drift."

"**What?"** Naruto froze. His mouth fell open. Was Granny Tsunade blackmailing him? "That's not right! I never asked to have that stupid fox in my belly! Isn't _that_ punishment enough? That's all those old jerks are worried about. Who gets Kyuubi? Who can threaten the village? Who gives a damn about that stupid boy?"

"They're worried about you, too." The Hokage made a steeple with her hands. "They know that you could be a great shinobi some day. But, if you ever want to sit in this chair, you need to be able to look at the big picture."

"That's easy for you to say, Old Lady." Naruto kicked at his chair. His hands were clenched and his mouth was set in a sardonic sneer. "You had your chance to go out and do things."

"Sit down, squirt!" Tsunade's voice snapped like a whip. "Listen up! You know why I came back to the village. You played a big role in that. But don't think that I don't dream about being able to go where I want and do what I like." She stood up, but both hands on the desk top, and leaned forward.

"OK. Fine. But…" Naruto was interrupted. He swallowed hard, trying hard not to look down the Hokage's ample cleavage.

"But nothing," Tsunade said. "This is _not_ an easy job. You better understand that." She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. "You need to stop being so selfish, Naruto. Like it or not, you are Jinchuuriki. It's a big risk, letting you train away from this village. It will be an even bigger risk, letting you go out on missions, now that the time is approaching when the Nine will intensify their desire to capture you. If I choose to do that, I'm risking more than you. I will be placing the Leaf at risk. And, since I will die to protect the village, I'm putting myself at risk."

"I…" Naruto looked sheepish for a moment. "I know that… it's…" He looked up at Tsunade, and then tightened his jaw. "That's why none of this makes any sense. To have any chance against Akatsuki, I need to be stronger. The _last_ thing I need to do is wander all over Konoha after dark, when the streets will be filled with people." His voice went up an octave or two, and he struck a Lee-like pose. "I should be training, not getting involved in some stupid festival." He grabbed his travel gear. "Thanks for the food. I should be getting back now…"

Naruto knew that he must sound somewhat childish. His words must sound selfish, too. But, he didn't care. He didn't want to hear about sacrifice. Sure, it was tragic when a Hokage died to save the village. He knew that first hand. He still missed the Third something awful. But, it was even harder being alive, with a damn fox demon messing up his life. How many other people had to live with something like that? Eight, including Gaara. Only one person in Konoha had to suffer like that. Him.

"**Sit down!"** Tsunade's voice had a large number of glass jars resonating. A number of scrolls rolled off of their holders, falling to the floor.

"But…I…."

"**SIT… DOWN… THERE!"** The Hokage pointed to a chair closer to her.

"This is not…."

Tsunade stood up. She worked her shoulder, and then began flexing one arm. "You can do this like a shinobi of the Leaf, or you can spend the night in the Infirmary." The Hokage was not smiling. "I will instruct Shizune to accept your lantern in the latter case. That should spare you any embarrassment."

"You can't…"

The Hokage surprised Naruto by smiling. "One way or another, this will be good for you, Uzumaki Naruto." The smile vanished and she looked stern again. "It's not enough to be strong. I would have thought that Jiraiya would have taught you that by now." She yawned yet again. "Maybe he tried to, but you were too dense to listen." She snapped her fingers and pointed to the chair again. "One thing a good ninja needs to be able to do is follow orders. Sit."

"But…Itachi… Kisame… the rest of the Nine…." Naruto stuck his chin out.

""They'll wait," Tsunade said gravely. "I didn't invite any of them to the Festival." The corner of her mouth turned up. "I doubt that Sasuke's brother would accept your lantern, any way."

"Huh?" Naruto twitched. _"What?"_ He made a face. "You shouldn't even joke about something like that. It's gross."

"_Really?"_ Tsunade laced her fingers together and cracked her knuckles. "It's too bad Sasuke is staying with Orochimaru and the Sound. If he was here, nod doubt he would put you in your place. He'd outdo you for sure." She looked down at her fingernails. One was chipped. "But, it would probably be too easy for him. Girls would probably bring him lanterns, instead

Naruto didn't say anything at first. He just sat there, stewing. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen all of the girls fawning over that traitor before. But, did Granny Tsunade really need to remind him of that? Sasuke the pretty boy. Sasuke the genius. Sasuke the traitor!

He wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what the Hokage was trying to do. She wanted to strike at his pride. Maybe she thought he would rise to the occasion, just to prove that he could do what Uchiha Sasuke could do. If that was the case, then she made a little bit of a miscalculation. Her words just had him feeling depressed.

"You're right," Naruto said glumly. "It would probably be easy for Sasuke." He had no doubt who Sakura would go running to. But, she'd have to run faster than she usually did, if she wanted to beat Ino, Ten Ten, and the others to the punch. No doubt that would be some kind of cat fight, just to see who could stand near his ex-teammate, waiting to see who he'd choose. "I'm not like him. Who'd want…"

"A scruffy looking guy who doesn't pay much attention to his appearance?" Tsunade asked, drumming her fingers on her desk top..

Naruto frowned.

"A loud mouth whose bragging hides the fact that he's lonely and wants to be accepted?" The Hokage's eyes were not filled with mischief. She knew how hard Naruto still took things. It couldn't have been easy, training alone with the Frog Hermit.

Naruto looked away.

"Someone who is so clueless, so poor with words, and so self conscious, that he convinces himself that none of it matters?" Tsunade watched the emotions play across Naruto's face.

Naruto clenched his fists.

"A boy who had a demon fox sealed behind his navel?" The Hokage put her chin on her clasped hands, staring at the young man in front of her. She sighed.

The look that Naruto had when he turned back around was indescribable. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words at first. Finally, his voice thick, he asked "Why did I have to come back. Why do you want to see me hurt?"

Tsunade closed her eyes. She let out a long and deep breath. "You're _already_ hurt, Naruto." Opening her eyes, she saw Naruto tremble a moment, and then swallow hard.

"No. I'm not.Not any more." Naruto shook his head.

The Hokage sighed again. She reached out, grabbed a financial report, and then leaned back in her chair. Not bothering to look over at Naruto, she began flipping through the pages.

"**I'm**… **not**… **hurting**… **Old Lady**…" Naruto surprised himself, hearing how loud his voice sounded.

Tsunade put the report down. "OK, you're not hurting." She scowled. "You certainly don't sound like you're hurting, _right?"_ A touch of sadness crossed her features. Naruto noticed, and then looked down at his boots. "Whether or not you are hurting, you are going to do everything that the other boys do. No exceptions. None.Not a one."

"But, I don't understand…." Naruto's posture slumped.

"I know," the Hokage answered. "Everybody gets confused about life now and again." She ran a hand through her hair. "Even me." She met Naruto's eyes. "The only thing that can fix that is time. Time, and opportunity." She looked down at her desk, running a finger over a picture of her brother, and then over one of Dan. "I can't give you more time," she said. "But, I can give you opportunities."

"I… that's…" Naruto scratched at the back of his neck. "Maybe you're right. But, unfortunately, I don't have any of the things that are listed on the scroll you sent me." He felt some of his usual spunk returning. "Maybe if I actually had some nice clothes…" He smacked a hand against his worn jumpsuit. A cloud of road dust floated away from him before settling to the floor. "Since I don't…"

"I see," Tsunade said, narrowing her eyes. "I was pretty explicit in my instructions." She pursed her lips. "If I had to rely on you buying a nice set of clothes, I guess we'd both be out of luck." She smiled. "Fortunately, that's not the case." Opening one of her desk drawers, she took out a small locked box and opened it. "Discretionary funds. You never know when they might come in handy." She reached into a different drawer, took out a small gong, and struck it once.

Before long, a door opened. One of her aides walked in. "Ma'am?" The old man was dressed in a nice set of robes. His bread and mustache were well-trimmed. He had an air of dignity about him.

"The young man will need a new robe," Tsunade said. "It should be something rather nice. Make it traditional.Silk would be nice."

The old man took a measuring tape out of his pocket, unwound it, and held it out in front of Naruto as he walked into the room.

"Make certain he doesn't choose anything orange," the Hokage added. "Is something the matter?" She wondered what had the man making such a face.

"The young man is… how should I put this… he's a bit fragrant." The aide coughed a couple of times.

"I haven't bathed in a number of days," Naruto said, scowling. "Big deal. I've been really busy. I guess the long walk here didn't help." He folded his arms over his chest. "I probably should not go out like this. Especially since I haven't had a haircut in a while." He ran a hand through his unruly and tangle-filled hair. "Maybe next year…"

Tsunade raised one eyebrow. "Men or women?" She asked.

"Huh?"Naruto looked puzzled. "What are you talking about, Old Lady?"

"Men or women," Tsunade said, picking up the small hammer that came with the gong. "As your chaperons. The ones who will make sure that you visit the barber and scrub well at the baths." She grinned.

"Wait a minute." Naruto frowned and made a face. "What are you talking about?" He scowled when he saw the old man put a scented cloth over his nose. "The Hokage has no right to…" He was interrupted by the gong, which rang out twice.

Voices could be heard approaching one of the doors. This time, Naruto could hear what was being said.

"Shit. Why us? What did we do to deserve this?" That voice was familiar. Naruto squinted, scratching under one arm. Where had he heard that voice before?

The door opened. A rather disgruntled looking Anko walked in. She turned around and spoke again. "Come on Kurenai. You're part of this too. If I have to do it, you have to do it." Not long after that, the other jounin walked in. Looking at Tsunade, she shook her head and sighed. Turning to face Naruto, she sore under her breath.

"No way…" Naruto brushed away the old man's hand. "No… freakin'… way…"

"Make it a nice short hair cut" Tsunade told Kurenai. "And have the barber shave him first. Hmmmm.Get rid of the sideburns, too."

"Yes Ma'am," Kurenai said.

"This is some kind of joke, right?" Naruto looked at Kurenai and then at Tsunade. He didn't have the nerve to meet Anko's eyes at that moment. She was tossing a sharpened kunai in the air and catching it.

"Anko…" The Hokage narrowed her eyes and frowned**_. "ANKO!"_** She shouted when the jounin failed to answer her.

"Ma'am?" Anko glared at Naruto.

"Have the older women bathe the boy." The Hokage hid a smile behind her hand. "They won't be as easily seduced as you."

"_W-h-a-t-?" _Anko let the kunai fall the the floor. It nearly stuck itself into her foot.

"I thought that might get your attention," Tsunade said. Every once in a while, Anko needed a little shaking up. Of course, it was never a good thing to be around her afterwards. "Have them use stone soap…hibiscus blossoms… scrubbing roots… _everything_."

"You don't have to tell us," Kurenai said, wrinkling her nose. She took a step further away from Naruto.

"If he gives them any trouble, tell them that they can shave off every last hair. Eyebrows. Arm pits. And you know where…" When Tsunade waved her hand nonchalantly, Naruto almost choked.

"Should we borrow someone from the Home for the Blind, Ma'am?" Kurenai asked. It was hard to tell if she was joking or being serious.

"No. We don't have the time." Tsunade looked over at an ornate clock. "In this village, everyone must serve in his or her way." She sounded very solemn.

"Screw this," Naruto said. "I'll just go bathe myself…" He began heading for the door.

"If you take one more step, I will bathe you." The Hokage's voice carried throughout the general vicinity. "If need be, I'll powder your bottom afterwards and put you in a diaper!"

Naruto sputtered. He wouldn't put it past Granny Tsunade.

"One more thing, ladies." Tsunade looked over at Anko and Kurenai. "I am going to trust your judgment in this. I am giving you permission to use force."

"What kind of force?" Anko licked her lips. Looking over at Naruto, she began caressing her kunai.

"Whatever force is necessary," the Hokage said. "Short of anything that will leave him maimed or disfigured." She smiled. "Your discretion."

Anko nodded, a gleam in her eyes. Kurenai shook her head and sighed.

"Sweet scent. Mouth wash. Deodorant." Tsunade said firmly. "He gets to take care of that on his own, if he wishes. If he _doesn't, _then it's up to the two of you. That will be all for now." Tsunade yawned, looked over at the stack of work on her desk, and then moved on to her next task.

As Naruto walked out of the room, he felt as if he were headed to the gallows or an enemy interrogation room.

It would have been kinder if he had been captured by Akatsuki.


	3. Shopping

A gentle lapping sound came from the direction of the store cat.

While the contented feline worked on a fresh bowl of cream, the front room of the Ramen shop was otherwise silent.

It was eerie. No, it was like something out of a dream. Naruto stood as stiff as a board, his eyes wide and mouth open. The patrons all held long strands of noodles on their chopsticks, or had stopped in mid slurp, their cheeks bulging. The shop owner stood with a determined look, his arms crossed, ladle in one hand and a large spoon in the other.

"Wh-… Wh-… _What?"_ Naruto managed to stutter that much. He looked over at one long term customer. She had a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"I said that I will not be serving you any noodles today. Not a single one." The shop owner nodded to his daughter, who moved to take the orders of a young couple that just entered the eatery. "No noodles. No soup. No seafood platter. _Nothing."_

"B-… B-… But _why?" _ Naruto fought down the urge to throw down his money, grab a large pot of Ramen, Udon, or Soba, and then run for his life. "I… I just got back into town today. It isn't like I've been avoiding the shop…" He swallowed hard. The patrons had all gone back to eating. Everyone looked happy and was making quite a racket eating. "I didn't do anything wrong…"

He had felt shocked. Then, he had felt desperate and depressed. Now, he felt his anger and resentment growing. The walk to Konoha had been a royal pain in the ass. His meeting with Tsunade had not been much better. Being shorn like a sheep by a garrulous barber hadn't been too terrible, except for the fact that Anko had chosen to sit on the counter, legs crossed, eyeing him the way that a vulture eyes a dying animal.

Those little injustices had been bad enough. But, the time he had spent at the baths had left him mortified. Kurenai didn't trust him, and wouldn't let him go off to the Men's Bath alone. The guys in the Men's Bath wouldn't let Anko in. So, after the washers and soakers were all convinced to leave the Women's Bath, the two jounin had brought Naruto in there. Shizune joined them, when she stopped by looking for someone else.

"First off, your robes are just too nice. You're obviously all ready for the evening, and I don't want to ruin that." The shop owner smiled. "And, I don't see a lantern or a gift, so you have some shopping to do." He pointed his spoon at a large clock on the store wall. "You don't have any time to waste."

"But… I'll be careful… and there's _always_ time for Ramen…" Naruto almost got down on his knees to beg. All he wanted was some noodles. It was something familiar. It would make his homecoming seem right. And, the noodles out by where he and Jiraiya were training weren't nearly as good.

"No," the shop keeper said. It was the first time that Naruto had heard the man speak firmly to anyone. "Not even for you." He made a stern face and shook his head. "Ayame…"

"Yes, Papa?" Ayame walked over, handing her father a number of new orders.

"Look who it is. It's been a while since we've seen him, hasn't it? He's getting ready for the festival." The man whispered in his daughter's ear for a moment, and then went back to wait on his customers.

"I wouldn't have recognized you," Ayame said. "You look very handsome in those robes. I never would have guessed that you would go to this much trouble. But, a lot can happen in three years, _right?" _She smiled, showing her beautiful teeth. She raised one eyebrow when she saw Naruto make a sour face.

Naruto put his hand behind his head. Handsome? _Him? _She was probably just being polite. Then, his eyes snapped open even wider. If she really did think he was handsome, maybe _she'd_ accept his Lantern. Boy, wouldn't that be lucky! Besides, she used to be second on his crush list after Sakura.

"Ummm… Ayame… would you like to…"

"No," the girl said, laughing a sweet bell-like laugh. She had predicted his question. "I'm sorry, Naruto. You're nice boy and all. There's no reason that a shinobi can't ask a civilian." She pursed her lips. "I think it's best to keep things close in age, don't you? You're not simply looking to shirk your obligations, _are_ you?"

"Well… you see…" Naruto frowned. Busted!" "Ahhh… damn…"

"Keep your head up," Ayame said sweetly, resisting the urge to muss his hair. "I wish they had something like this when I was your age. It would have been fun." She watched the play of emotions on his face again. "It's not like it's a betrothal ceremony or anything. Don't you ever want to do something different? You can't fight or train all the time, you know." She looked him in the eyes. "Sooner or later you're going to find yourself interested in girls."

"I… you know… it's just stupid… _that's_ all…" Naruto glared at the diners who had all chosen to listen in on the conversation.

"I guess some guys take a while to notice girls," Ayame said, teasing her father's favorite customer. "But I guess that doesn't seem to be your problem!" She narrowed her eyes, looking cross for a moment. Naruto had tried to slyly get a look at her legs.

Naruto didn't say anything. He just whistled off key and played around with a pair of chopsticks he broke apart. Having spent a lot of time with Jiraiya, noticing girls was not a problem for him. It was everything that took place after he noticed someone.

"So, what's _really_ bothering you?" Ayame sat down at a booth and tucked her legs under the table. She motioned for Naruto to sit as well.

"There are so many dumb things that we all have to do." Naruto grimaced. "It's such a big waste of time. Boats. Paper kimonos. Bags. Messages for the bamboo. All tha_t_ kind of stuff." He stuck his lower lip out and used the chopsticks like drumsticks on the table top.

"Is that it, the waste of time?" Ayame sagely tapped her finger on Naruto's hand, causing him to put the chopsticks down. "Or is it something a lot more personal." She paused, trying to gauge his mood. This was not an easy topic for anyone, especially teenagers. "Are you afraid of rejection? Is that it?"

Naruto ran a hand through his hair, shocked at how short it was. "It's not as if it would be anything new…." He looked down at his lap. He sighed.

"But it would still hurt,right?" Ayame nodded, her eyes filled with sympathy. "Especially if happens during a big ceremony, and everyone is watching." She bit her lip for a moment. She wished that there was some way that she could help him.

"Yes." Naruto couldn't deny the truth.

"Is that why you don't have a gift or your lantern? You've already given up?" Ayame frowned, a rare sight. "I seem to remember a certain boy talking about his Ninja Way between bites of Ramen. Weren't you the one who wanted to become Hokage some day?"

"That has nothing to do with this!"Naruto brought his fist down hard, startling Ayame. He apologized. This was a very sore subject with him. Normally, in everything he did, he gave it his utmost, pushing on long after everyone else would have stopped. Before leaving the village, he probably would have treated a festival like this the very same way. But, he had become very self conscious where girls were concerned.

He wouldn't give up entirely, though. He could thank Jiraiya for that. Jiraiya, and the whole moronic Slug-Snake-Frog thing. At times, looking how much coincidence there was between Team Seven and the Three Legendary Sannin, he found himself wondering if he might end up like that damn pervert. There was just no way he could let that happen!

Ayame shook her head. "A Hokage needs to do things he or she doesn't want to do. Our rulers all observe a number of traditions, and try to take the different customs and beliefs of the village into account." She looked somewhat stern for a moment, before smiling sweetly again. "They often have to try new things, without any guarantee that they will succeed, and with no assurance that the townspeople will be happy."

"Yeh… but…" Naruto muttered under his breath. Why did the things she said have to make sense?

"If the Kages always worried what people thought about them, they'd never get a single thing done." Ayame did a quick drum roll herself with the chopsticks.

Naruto's mouth hung open Why hadn't Tsunade had something like that?****Why hadn't Jiraiya for that matter? Because they knew he wouldn't have listened. No, he would have listened; but, feeling contrary around those two Legendary Sannin, he wouldn't have believed a thing they said. He looked over at the sun. It was getting close toe the horizon Damn. Stores might close early on a festival night. The best gifts and lanterns were probably taken by now.

"Worried about the time?" Ayame asked, softly. "Maybe changing your mind?"

The contrary part of Naruto was ready to say something smart ass; but, he knew that Ayame didn't deserve that. While he was being honest with himself, he grudgingly admitted that Tsunade had been trying to help him, too. "Yes. I guess so." He managed a lop-sided smile. "That's all your fault…."

"Really?" Ayame smiled. "Then it's a good thing my father told me I can take some time off tonight, so I can help you. I can't be gone too long, because festival night crowds should be big."

"**That would be great!"** Naruto blushed, realizing how loud he had been. That would be great. You're just going to help me with the shopping part, right? Gifts and lantern. That would be a big help." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess you really can't help me find a girl, though…"

"Well, that last part is up to you." Ayame stood. She shook a finger at Naruto. "Just do your best. Ask with your heart, not your head. This isn't about tricky plans or beating the system. That doesn't work for everything, you know."

Naruto nodded his head. He had spent much of his life getting by in just that manner. But, life doesn'tt always follow the path that one chooses, just the way a fight didn't always go as planned. A wise enemy would see an opponent's tricks, and those methods would become ineffective after a while.

The two set off down the street, Ayame leading the way. Block by block, they watched as the gas lamps began turning on and workmen finished with the last decorations for the night's festivities. Naruto hoped that Ayame knew what she was doing. Everywhere he looked, lights went off in shops, or the owners pulled down their awnings and stowed away their stand-up signs and advertisements.

"Ayame?"Naruto asked, running to catch up after he realized he was too busy watching the activities on the square.

"Yes?" Ayame asked.

"Uhhh… well… you know…I've never done anything like this before." Naruto kicked at a stone on the sidewalk. "I really don't know anything about picking out gifts." He sighed. "It would be bad enough, if I knew who I was choosing it for. But…." This was beginning to feel more complicated than a B-class or C-class mission.

Ayame chuckled. "You're not alone there. That's often a failing in the male species." She tossed her hair, and then pointed at a small cluster of shops on a little-traveled back street. "You're not trying to overwhelm anyone, right? It's not about winning someone's heart or sweeping them off their feet." She watched Naruto shake his head vigorously. "This is supposed to be a small gift, right?"

"Yes," Naruto said. "But, if I'm going to do something, I should do it right." His pride had decided to make an appearance. "That's just the way that Uzumaki Naruto does things." Once he decides he wants to do something, that is. "I have plenty of money. Tsunade loaned me some" He held up the frog purse. Luckily, the Hokage said that she would get her old teammate to pay her back. Ero-sennin wouldn't mess around with _her _money! "But, I guess there's something more important than cost, huh?"

"Now _that's_ the right attitude. If you want to impress someone tonight, impress them with who you are, not by what you have." Ayame patted Naruto on the cheek. That had him blushing and nearly tripping over a crack in the pavement. "You show a lot of promise. If some girl doesn't take your lantern tonight, don't you get too down on yourself."

"That kind of thing is real easy to say…" Naruto grumped.

"Now, about gifts…." Ayame ignored Naruto's complaining. "You could do something simple like chocolate. Most girls like that." Ayame smiled, thinking back to some of her past dates.

"OK. Let's do that, then." Naruto began walking with a more spirited step. Maybe he would end up being luckier than the other dopes. He had a girl shopping with him. It was almost like having a spy or paid informant.

"Of course, _that_ often has romantic connotations," Ayame said, mostly in jest. She glanced at Naruto out of the corner of her eye, smiling when she saw him stumble.

"Forget chocolate," Naruto said. He cursed, hearing how anxious he sounded.

"I was only kidding," Ayame said. "Romance has more to do with the giver than the gift." She reached over and tugged on the sleeve of Naruto's robe, making certain that she had his full attention. "In everyday life, gift giving is an art form, Naruto. It represents friendship, honor, and even gratitude. That's one thing I want you to remember."

"Sure… art form… you got it…" Naruto wrinkled his nose.

"Ceremony is important, too." Ayame hoped this would all sink in. "The presnt should be in a gift box, or beautifully wrapped in quality paper. It should be given with great respect. Because the symbolism is what's truly important, the actual gift may be very modest." Ayame spoke about gifts as it were a passion.

"But…." Naruto heard the words, but the concepts were beginning to overwhelm him.

"I'll help. Don't worry." Ayame tried to assure Naruto. "When you offer your gift, hold it in both hands and bow, saying words that let the girl know that the gift is insignificant in comparison to her." She had Naruto repeat things after her, hoping that they might sink in better that way. "Some girls will politely refuse a gift once or twice before accepting it. If someone accepts the girt, it may not be opened in your presence. Don't take that as a refusal of the gift or some kind of insult. Some families follow that tradition." She steered him into a shop.

The interior of the store was very cluttered, filled with items of every sort. Carvings. Flower arrangements. Books on poetry. Candy. Small ornate boxes. Decorations. The wide range of finery and frippery boggled the imagination. It would take all night just to look through it all.

"Mother?" Ayame told Naruto to look around. It was her mother's shop. No wonder Ayame knew so much about gifts.

"Is this your new boyfriend, Ayame?" A handsome if somewhat thickly built woman of middle age walked out from a small side room. She was waving an ornate fan decorated with cranes and water scenes. "He looks a bit on the young side. But, he's certainly more clean cut than the last one." She smiled at Naruto. "So, what are your intentions regarding my tenth and final daughter?"

"It... I… you see…" Naruto stared at the woman as if she had just grown a snake's head.

"**Mother!"** Ayame made a face.

"It's alright dear, I'm just joking with the boy." Ayame's mother walked over and looked closer at Naruto, taking in his clothing. "It's nice to see that some of the young hooligans take this kind of thing seriously." She smiled, and then reached out to button one more of Naruto's buttons. "That's better. Much more dignified." She sighed, waving her fan faster. "In my youth, the Star Festival was serious business. That's how I met my husband."

Naruto swallowed hard. Husband. Husband implied wife. He told himself that this year's ceremony was nothing like that.

"**Mo-ther-r-r-r…"** Ayame pointed at the clock on the wall. The Hokage's opening speech was less than an hour away.

"Children these days…" Ayame's mother said. "I really need to get her married off. Are you sure you're not interested?" She grinned, seeing the look on Naruto's face and hearing her daughter sputter angrily. Then, she took him by the arm and began giving him a tour of the shop, holding a one-sided conversation as they went. Before long, Naruto had three items sitting in front of him.

"So, what will it be?" Ayame asked, wondering what Naruto's choice might be. Her mother's taste was as exquisite as usual, and she had helped the young ninja narrow things down to a number of very different choices.

"I'm not sure…" Naruto scratched his head. "This is not easy." He began running through the possibilities.

The first item was rather straight forward. It was a beautifully wrapped box, containing a small assortment of cookies and a few pieces of fresh fruit. The woman said that she would put it in a larger star-shaped box. That might do! Girls seem to like cookies. Everybody likes fruit.

But, the second item was nice, too. It was a small but delicately carved pendant that could also be worn as a pin. The shape was that of a star, perfect for the night's festival. Not only that, it glittered like one of the distant points of light. That was kind of cool, and girls like jewelryThat might do, too! How was he going to decide between them?

The third item would be a huge risk. It would be hit or miss, big time. He could truly impress someone with his ingenuity, or fall flat on his face, a laughing stock. The International Registry Office was selling something through the shop. One could purchase the rights to name a certain star in the night sky. That name would be official. It would also be permanent. No. That one had too much risk. Still…

"This is really hard," Naruto said. Then, he smiled. Froggie was full of coins again, and a girl would know what she liked better than he did. He could buy all three, and let the young lady choose the one she wanted. He was a genius! "I'll buy all three…"

Ayame sighed. She had hoped that Naruto would make a decision. Men were so indecisive!

"If that's what you want to do," Ayame's mother said. The boy's decision had her smiling, even though she believed that the giving of gifts mattered more than the gift itself. It was nice to find a young man who actually cared what someone else might like, rather than think only of himself. "I'll fix each one up very nicely for you, while you are off on the second part of your errand."

As the woman turned away chuckling to herself, Naruto heard her say "That was just how my husband did it. He brought three gifts…" He ran into the door jam and saw stars for a moment.

Ayame led Naruto to the next shop. "Does this shop belong to a relative too?" He asked the her, rubbing his forehead.

"Yes," Ayame said, laughing. "My uncle." The man was quite a character. Some people in her family tried to pretend that they were not related. "In the past, he was one of the foremost lamp and lantern makers. But, the times have slowly passed him by." She sighed. That was true with so many items and customs. "If he doesn't have something you like, I'll be very surprised."

A series of bells rang as they pushed open the old style door. Naruto jumped, startled, just as he took his first step past the threshold. A large stuffed bear, paws outstretched, stood directly in front of him.

"Uncle has been begun to work with taxidermy too," Ayame explained. "He has always loved animals." She shrugged. "I don't know why he wants to stuff them, though."

"_Preserve_ them, niece." A tall and thin man walked over, dressed in worn old robes. "Stufgfing is something you do to a turkey or other edible fowl." His smile showed a set of impossible white teeth. It almost seemed as if he had more than most people did. "I honor creatures after they die. There is beauty in everything. I thought I told you that before…."

"Yes-s-s-s, Uncle." Ayame rolled her eyes and introduced Naruto.

"I see. One of the hopeful, then. I hope you do better than I did in _my_ days." The old man shook his head sadly. "My disappointment still haunts me to this day."

"**Uncle!"** Ayame made a face. That was not the kind of thing that a young man needed to hear.

Naruto began to sweat under his heavy robes. Ducking under a Snowy Owl and a pair of marmots, he followed the man into an amazing room. One long wall was hung with more lanterns than he could count in the short time he had left. The amazing creations came in all sorts of sizes and shapes, and were made from a wide variety of materials.

"They're all lit by bulbs in the shop," the old man explained. "But, I sell them with small candles. Take your time to look around. You're the only customer at the moment."

"So many…" Naruto whispered. When the shop owner turned out the overhead lights, the wall took on a life of its own.

"The globes and small wood-framed boxes are the most popular these days, amongst the hand held lanterns, that is. As you can see, some are made for hanging, while others have legs to sit on. Many of them can be used in both manners." The old man coughed, and then continued. "The painted cylinders are popular, as well as fashionable."

"Those are _my_ favorites," Ayame added, unsolicited.

"The animal shapes are not very popular today," Ayame's uncle said. "Probably because the old myths and legends have gone out of favor." He scratched his shin and looked over at one small portion of the collection. "Children are forced to grow up so fast these days."

Naruto looked over to where the man had pointed. He couldn't help but smile. Those lanterns were amazing. One looked like a happy frog. It almost seemed alive. He was very tempted to buy that one, for obvious reasons. But, while he liked it, the girls would probably think it was silly. The light from the brightly colored lanterns reflecting from his eyes, he looked at eagles, rats, goats, horses, sea creatures, and dogs. The craftsmanship was unbelievable.

His heart almost stopped. His hands trembled. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes for a brief time. In the center of the animal lanterns, one stood out, glowing a bright orange color. Of course. It just had to be there. He could never escape it, could he?

It was a fox-shaped lantern, one with only a single tail.

"Oh. I would not recommend _that_ one, young man." The lantern-maker almost sounded apologetic, if not slightly anxious. "While the youth of today might find that very becoming, there are many amongst the older generation who might take offense. It would bring back unpleasant memories for them."

Naruto swallowed hard. That was the last lantern he wanted. Wasn't it? Rubbing his chin, he thought a moment. Granny Tsunade had been adamant. She had insisted that he faced his fears and doubts, taking part in the festival. There was something else he needed to face. He was who he was.

If the people of Konoha didn't want to accept him for who he was, too damn bad. He shouldn't rub things in, but his pride and anger helped him make his decision.

"I'll take it…."


	4. Folding Paper

The noisy chatter in the room waxed and waned in volume, just like the droning call of the Mountain Cicada.

The walls of the Meeting Hall were hung with freshly cut pine boys and decorated with festive strings of flowers. A pleasant natural perfume drifted here and there, making many of the young men and women feel more at ease.

Exempt from the festival, the jounin walked amongst the tightly clustered tables, offering help where it was needed. Neji was not among them. While he had made jounin while Naruto was away, the Hokage had insisted that he take place in the Lantern ceremony.

"**Hah!" **Naruto smirked. "At least _I'm_ not the only one that Old Lady Tsunade screwed over." There was a tearing sound. Again. His paper kimono kept tearing over his nice new robes.

_Nice new robes. _

Those words seemed out of place. He wasn't usually one for fashion. That kind of thing didn't do much good during training. He doubted that he would ever hear Itachi say 'Because you wear that outfit so well, I find myself moved to let you go,' or Kisame ask 'who's your tailor?'

Still, the fact of the matter was that his fancy robes did look nice. Did that mean that he looked nice, too? That was a foolish thought. What good would it do him in combat, if he was another pretty boy like Sasuke? Shit. What had his friend's looks done for him? They hadn't gotten him the revenge he wanted so badly. They didn't convince him to stay where he belonged.

In a few months time, if things didn't change, it might be Orochimaru who wore Sasuke's body. But, that sick bastard didn't care so much about the way that Sasuke looked. He just wanted those damn sharingan eyes.

Naruto frowned, thinking back to his days at the Academy. The girls all drooled and fawned over Sasuke. There was no way that he would ever forget the way that Sakura had reacted, when the three members of Team Seven had met Kakashi for the first time. When she was asked what she really liked, she stared all goo goo eyed at Sasuke. When she was asked what she didn't like, she had glared at _him._

"What does Sakura know, anyway?" Naruto sighed. His crush for the pink-haired girl has pretty much disappeared. But, he couldn't help but notice how much she had grown, so to speak. He didn't mean as a ninja, despite the fact that she was now a prized pupil of Granny Tsunade. He was a young man a few years away from adulthood, and that meant that he was painfully aware of how Sakura was well on her way to filling out a blouse in the same manner as her teacher.

Thinking about Sakura made him think about rejection. He knew that he shouldn't take it personally, but he couldn't help it. Wasn't he her teammate once? Hadn't he made a Promise of a Lifetime, almost getting by Sasuke when he tried to bring their friend back? No doubt the Hokage had told her that he would be returning for the festival. Couldn't she have waited for him to ask her?

Naruto looked around the room, taking a break from all of the folding. Why did they have to make so many damn cranes? Worse, why were the instructions written in such small print? This was torture. Hey, maybe this is just a trial run. If enough people complain, maybe they'll make it part of the Chuunin exams. Damn. Why did he have to think about that? Out of the original Rookie Nine, he was the only one who remained genin.

"It's not _my_ fault," He muttered under his breath. "I was off training with Ero-sennin."

He wondered how many of the younger girls might be chuunin. That would certainly be embarrassing. A genin asking a chuunin! He hoped that no one would judge him in that fashion. He was the only one apprenticed to Jiraiya! He was the same man who had trained the Fourth Hokage, Konoha's Yellow Flash. That had to count for something!

On second thought, maybe not. The Frog Hermit had a certain reputation, and not simply because he was the author of the _Icha Icha _books. If that kind of notoriety had rubbed off on him, he was sunk!

Maybe he should just get up on his table, strike a Gai-like pose, and shout "Get a look at me girls, I'm going to be Hokage! Who wants to accept the Lantern of a legend?" Sure. That would work. Who was he kidding? To a lot of the girls he was probably Uzumaki Naruto, the boy who used to paint graffiti on the Stone Hokages, or 'That Naruto', the boy who defeated Kiba Inuzuka with a fart.

That just wasn't fair. Aside from his friends and former teammates, who knew that he had helped save the village from Shukaku? How many of the girls would know that he had been the one who convinced Tsunade to return to Konoha? How many would care if he told them how quickly he had learned Rasengan, or that he could summon the Boss Frog? Shit. How many would even believe him if he told them?

"Maybe if I_ really _looked like the Fourth…" Naruto sighed. He remembered staring at a picture of Yondaime, trying to convince himself that there were similarities. For a while, he had even dreamed that the man who had sealed Kyuubi inside of him had secretly been his father. Jiraiya had made it a point to disabuse him of that idea.

Did it really matter what someone looked like? Sasuke left the Leaf for his own selfish reasons, didn't he? And what about his brother?

Well, turnabout's fair play. He had started off by asking the prettiest girls that he knew, and the best looking girls that he didn't. Now, as things stretched on, he was asking any girl he came across. What would be worse, giving his Lantern to some kunoichi that everyone ignored, a civilian girl that everyone avoided, or no one at all?

"This… is… so… frigging… _tedious_…" Naruto blushed when some of the girls at his table looked at him, frowned, and then began whispering amongst themselves. Like they had any reason to snicker about him. He wasn't the only one bored to death by all this!

At least he was good at what he was doing. He had surprised himself, showing a natural proclivity at origami. But, the paper cranes wouldn't get done of he just sat idly by, moaning and whining about his fate. Time to work on another one.

"_Begin with a square piece of paper, ideally with one side colored and the other plain. Place the colored side face up on the table." _

Naruto had done enough of these to remember the words without squinting at the instructions or diagrams anymore. A lot of the other youths seemed to be treating this like a contest, seeing who could get their cranes done the quickest. While he too wanted to be through with this, he was _not _going to do a sloppy job. He would do his best. It was his Ninja Way.

One of the large globe-shaped lanterns that had been strung across the room broke free from its hanger, barely missing Naruto when it fell. He cursed, hoping that it wasn't an omen. About to mutter something nasty about the crews who worked on the decorations, he stopped. It must have been hard work. He was surprised that Old Lady Tsunade hadn't demanded his presence a few days earlier, making him help out.

"_Fold diagonally to form a triangle. Be sure the points line up. Make all creases very sharp. You can even use your thumbnail."_

Shaking his head, he used the butt of a kunai instead. He didn't care if anyone saw him doing so. What were they going to do, kick him out of the festival? If they did, he'd give them each a big wet kiss on the cheek. That was one rule he was _not_ about to follow!

No one was supposed to carry any weapons that night. That didn't make any sense as far as he was concerned. It wasn't as if the preparations could be kept secret from anyone visiting the village. A spy could easy take away word of the festivities. It could provide a great opportunity for attack. Then again, maybe not. The streets and surrounding land would be filled with shinobi and civilian alike, and most of the ninjas would have some Genjutsu or Ninjutsu abilities.

Good for them. Good for Konoha. He was not 'most ninjas,' however. He was Jinchuuriki. He was the carrier of one of the Tailed Beasts, the top items on Akatsuki's Christmas list. Now that the three years was nearly up, he could expect an attempted abduction at any time. Sure, it would be simpler to lure him and a small number of fighters to a more secluded location, but that's what everyone thought.

"Expect the unexpected," he whispered.

"_Now fold the paper diagonally in the opposite direction, forming a new triangle."_

He heard Ayame's words in his mind. A Hokage needs to do things he or she doesn't want to do. Maybe she was right. He hoped that the same thing held true for_ ex_-Hokages. When it was his turn to wear the tri-corner hat, he would make sure to assign Anko and Kurenai to keep watch on Granny Tsunade while she worked her fingers to the bone folding paper cranes.

"_Unfold the paper and turn it over so the white side is up."_

Naruto looked around the room again, trying to see if he could catch sight of any more people that he knew. He hadn't been back to the village for a long time, and he didn't realize how much he missed his friends until today.

**Kiba**

He caught sight of his friend halfway across the room. He friend had grown, but not nearly as much as Naruto had. But, Naruto's growth spurt was nothing compared to that of Akamaru. The dog was the reason that he spotted his fellow shinobi. Once a small cute dog that could ride on top of Kiba's head, Akamaru was now a beast large enough to ride on.

His friend was having a rough go of it. Akamaru kept slobbering on the cranes that Kiba had made, or his breath kept snorting them halfway across the room. Naruto thought about walking over and joining them, but decided not to. He wanted to get his quota done as fast as he could. He needed as much time as he could get, as he hadn't been able to find anyone willing to take his Lantern yet.

"_Fold the paper in half to the "east" to form a rectangle. Unfold the paper. Fold the paper in half to the "north" to form a new rectangle."_

Rectangle smecktangle.

Looking over at one of the long and large tables that had been set up for refreshments, Naruto found himself getting distracted for a few minutes. A number of girls were getting into the spirit of the ancient traditions. Finished with their cranes, they were slicing and carving muskmelons and honeydews

He felt his face grow warm when he realized he was staring. He wiped his mouth in a cautionary move. Good. At least he wasn't drooling. Many of the young ladies were dressed in beautiful gowns, their hair built up in intricate hairdos. Some carried paper fans and fancy purses. Their origami bit done, they were free to remove the paper kimonos. He was glad they did.

Were they enjoying all this rigmarole? It certainly seemed that way.

What did that say about _him? _Should he be more in the spirit of things? Was there some reason that he should be having fun? No. He was a guy. This kind of thing was probably fun only for girls.

Sure enough, a group of young ladies behind him were talking in hushed voices. That is they were talking when they were not putting their heads together and giggling like they didn't share a single brain between them. Annoyed that they were acting like that, Naruto nevertheless found himself listening in.

Most of what he made out was name. Boys' names. Obviously, they were gossiping, and telling their friends who they would like to offer them a Lantern. Either that, or they were telling each other whose Lantern they had already accepted. Either way, none of them mentioned him. He wouldn't have expected otherwise, since the girls not shinobi, and he didn't remember ever seeing any of them before.

Just the same, he felt a bit depressed. It would be nice to have people notice him. He worked very hard to become strong, and he hoped some day to be the one who protected everyone. He frowned. He was Uzumaki Naruto, whether or not those girls knew what that meant. His Ninja Way had nothing to do with sitting around and moping, hoping that things were different. It was time he remembered that!

"Watch me work…" He stood up, tried to put on his best fake smile, and walked over to the adjacent table. He introduced himself and told everyone who he was. After he received their names in return, he asked if any of them would be gracious enough to accept his lantern. They all politely turned him down, saying that had already been asked.

_Already been asked._

Shit. Being asked didn't necessarily mean that they had accepted a Lantern yet. Maybe they were just being polite. Hell. Maybe he should be happy for that much. If any of them had known about Kyuubi the way that their parents did, he might have gotten a very different response.

Still, rejection is rejection, no matter who it came from. He couldn't help but wonder if civilian girls may be prejudiced about shinobi guys. It wasn't really something he had thought about in the past. Was thatthe point of this festival thing? Was Old Lady Tsunade trying to get ninjas and other villagers to mix more?

Maybe. But, what difference would it make for someone like him? He could imagine what would happen if some girl _did _like him and brought him home to meet her folks.

"Damn." He didn't need to think about that now. But, he couldn't help himself. He was the baby that helped Yondaime save the village. It wasn't a picnic, having a fox demon sealed behind your navel! He hadn't asked for that. He hadn't asked to be ostracized as a small child, never knowing the reason why. He hadn't asked the villagers to treat him as if he himself was the Nine Tails.

He needed to get back to the task at hand. The cranes were not going to fold themselves. For a moment, he tossed his Frog Purse in his hand, wondering if he could buy enough origami figures to earn his way out of this place. No. His pride wouldn't let him do that.

"_Unfold the rectangle, but don't flatten it out._ _Bring all four corners of the paper together, one at a time. This will fold the paper into the flat square. This square has an open end where all four corners of the paper come together. It also has two flaps on the right and two flaps on the left."_

A flash of pink caught his eyes. No one else had hair like that. He had always wondered if pink was even a normal hair color.

**Sakura.**

He rubbed his belly, hoping that he didn't have any ruptured internal organs. When he had run across her before, after hearing the Hokage's introductory speech, he rushed to say hello. She seemed genuinely happy to see him, and had almost crushed him with a hug. She was getting strong! But, after she had turned him down, saying that she was already spoken for, he had said something that got her very upset.

"She still doesn't have a sense of humor," Naruto griped, wincing.

Excited at seeing his former teammate, he had asked her if she wanted to see the new perverted jutsu that he had invented while training with Jiraiya. Her response had been rather violent.

He wondered if she had a boyfriend, or had simply accepted the Lantern of the first guy who approached her. It really wasn't any business of his. Still, he could help but dream about what might have been, if he had been able to train in Konoha, and she had shown him the same kind of attention she once showed Sasuke.

His friends name kept coming up in his thoughts. It was rarely far from Sakura's thoughts too, or so she had said. Before she had knocked him for a loop literally, they renewed their pledge to Missing Nin home together.

Naruto couldn't help but smile. He could picture Sasuke sitting at one of the tables, hands moving incredibly fast, trying to make the origami cranes while girls were hanging all over him. There would be a look of disgust or resignation on his face. He sighed. There had been a look of apathy on Sasuke's face at the Valley of the End. No, not apathy. Contempt. Mockery. Maybe even amusement.

Looking over at Sakura again, he nodded his head. He had told her everything that had happened. She still wanted to go after Sasuke. He counted himself fortunate that she would probably do the same thing for him.

Things _do_ change. He needed to keep telling himself that. Not just about Sasuke, but about himself. At the orphanage, he had no friends. While at the Academy, no one seemed to care about him. But, things had changed once he earned his forehead protector, and after he found himself part of a team.

Some day, if he was lucky, he would be more than 'the boy with the fox'.

"_Lift the upper right flap, and fold in the direction of the arrow. Crease along this line. Lift the paper at this point and fold down the triangle like so. Crease along that line."_

He looked up. He had heard a familiar voice. Sure enough, a few tables over, Ino had stopped to chat with a few girls that he did not recognize. They were from a younger class, and might even be genin that she had been assigned to teach.

**Ino.**

"She said 'no' too," Naruto muttered. "Not that it should surprise me."

That wasn't exactly fair, he had to admit. She had been genuinely pleased to see him again, even though they had never been particularly close in the past. It seemed that a lot had happened since he was gone. All of the Rookie Nine and Team Gai had grown closer together. He had been the only one who had been left out.

Well, him and Sasuke.

Ino had once been a Uchiha groupie, like Sakura, Ten Ten, and the other girls. But, if what he had heard in passing was true, she had turned her hopes towards Shikamaru. At least, that's what Sakura had said. She had also said that Shikamaru was interested in Temari.

**Temari.**

Now she was the one kind of fox that he would gladly keep around. Sure, she might be arrogant and overly critical, but boy what a bod! Too bad _she_ wasn't in town tonight. Getting a good glimpse of her might have made the trek worthwhile.

Thinking about Temari left him wondering how Gara was doing. It couldn't be easy, being the new Kazekage. While he envied the other ninja in some ways, he knew that he himself was nowhere near ready to be Hokage. It was probably just as well. He was lonely enough as it was. What chance would he have to make new friends and maybe even find romance some day, once he carried the same load of responsibilities that Tsunade carried now, and Sarutobi had in the past?

"Well, at least there is one person who would have a tougher time than me…" Naruto scratched under one arm, stopping when he realized that wouldn't look to dignified. Gaara certainly looked a lot stranger than he did! Then again, there might be any number of girls who would be glad to accept the Lantern of a Kage.

Somehow, that just didn't seem fair.

"_Undo the three folds you just made and your paper will have crease lines."_

Naruto looked over at Ino again and sighed. Just like Sakura, time had treated her well. He began coughing when his mind strayed before. He found himself wondering what it might have been like to spy on her at one of the onsens that the perverted old hermit kept dragging him to.

Of course, at that very moment, Ino tuned and caught sight of him. She waved. A curious look crossed her face when his coughing fit got worse.

The village's noisiest and most unpredictable ninja wondered for the thousandth time whether or not his time with Jiraiya had done him a lot of good, or a lot of bad. Trying not to look over at Ino again, he admitted that it was probably a bit of both. 'You've learned a great deal boy,' the hairy old reprobate had taken to saying, always followed by 'But you've got a long way to go.' Naturally, after saying that, he spent minutes praising his ability as a teacher.

The Legendary Sannin was also prone to saying 'The Fourth would be proud, Naruto' and 'You'll join Kakashi and myself as a first class pervert in no time.' It had been heartwarming in a way to learn that Yondaime had been even more perverted than Sarutobi had been. It also gave him a true sense of satisfaction to think about the time-honored line of succession. Jiraiya had learned his perversions from Sarutobi. Yondaime had learned his from Jiraiya. Kakashi had learned his from Yondaime.

The Copy Ninja hadn't made any effort to foster an appreciation for the wonders of the female form in his team members. But, the Frog Hermit had more than made up for it.

Still, there was a down side to everything, _right? _Jiraiya and his reputation were no exception. While Naruto had never truly thought about dating any of the girls in the villages near his training sites, he did try to strike up a conversation with some now and again. Knowing who his teacher was, they wouldn't give him the time of day.

Of course, there _were _plenty of women who were willing to be very friendly when Jiraiya was free with Froggie's money. But, he didn't want anything to do with that.

It _did_ give him an idea, though. Granny Tsunade didn't place any limits on who he could ask. Pimps and prostitutes still set up their tents just outside the village walls, despite the city council's attempts to discourage them. He could imagine the look on the Hokage's face if he escorted a courtesan to the ceremony

"Old Lady Tsunade, permit me to introduce LuLuBelle…" This time it was Naruto's laughter that drew Ino's glance.

No, he could never bring himself to do that, not even for a joke. He just hoped that he didn't end up like his sensei, looking for attention from women who cared more for fame and fortune than they cared for him.

Once again, he couldn't help but smile. He pictured what would happen if Jiraiya offered a Lantern to the Hokage. Brutal didn't begin to describe it.

The sound of an amplified voice carried through one of the windows. That caught Naruto's attention. Putting aside his cranes for a moment, he made his way over to see what might be going on outside. On the way, he politely offered his Lantern to a half dozen more girls, all of whom turned him down.

A large wooden platform had been built in the quadrangle outside. Surrounding it, there was a large crowd with a fair number of children. Hawkers sold various types of treats, and there were a number of people waving sparklers. Listening more closely, he could make out the words:

"Encouraged by his mischievous companion the ox, he steals their clothes and waits to see what will happen next. The fairy sisters elect the youngest and most beautiful sister to retrieve their clothing."

There were two actors dressed as an ox. A young man in an ancient style of clothing stole some women's garments off of a pole in exaggerated fashion. Young girl's dressed in peach colored leotards pushed one of their number towards the thief. Naruto didn't need to see or hear any more to know what that was all about. They were reenacting the story of Niu Lang and Zhi Nü, of course.

Naruto leaned his forehead against the cool stone of the window frame. It was a sad story. But, it was nothing compared to another story that he knew. For a minute, he imagined the actors down below putting on a different skit:

"_Yondaime was a brave and well-loved Hokage. Naruto was a newborn baby, with the promise of a normal and happy life. They lived in a village that had seen war and pain before, but nothing like they would soon face._

_The life of the Hokage, the baby, and the villagers would be changed forever when a great monster attacked, laying waste to everything in its path. The villagers had done nothing wrong, but that didn't matter. If some solution wasn't found, everyone would die._

_At the cost of his own life, Yondaime sealed the monster behind the Naruto's navel, ending the monster's destructive rampage and saving the village. It was the dying hero's final wish that the baby be treated as a hero, not as a monster."_

Some hero's welcome he got. If every hero was treated the way that he had been, there'd probably be a shortage of heroes in no time. In a perfect world, the adults wouldn't hate or fear him, and their children wouldn't be kept in the dark. Sure, he might have liked to have women throwing themselves at his feet tonight. That wouldn't be realistic, even if his story was viewed in the proper light.

"_The village lamented over the loss of its great Hokage. Several years passed by, seeing the rebuilding of Konoha and the strong and steady leadership of Sandaime. The townspeople flourished in the wake of disaster, honoring the memory of Konoha's Yellow Flash._

_Despite the great man's wish, the littlest hero was not respected or revered for the role that he played. Feared and loathed by all that knew the truth, the baby was placed in an orphanage, never to be selected by the many foster parents who longed for a family of their own._

_His heritage kept from him, and the secret hidden from his peers, the baby grew into a young boy who never understood the reason he was treated differently from everyone else. Desperate for attention, he acted in ways that made the villagers despise him even more._

_In time, Naruto found himself true friends, and vowed to become Hokage some day. But, while the older shinobi came to trust him, the towns people still wished he didn't exist. By necessity, he hid his secret from his precious ones, hoping they wouldn't hate him when they learned the truth._

_But, that was not all of the harm that the monster had brought him. Ruthless and powerful criminals made no effort to conceal their plans to take Naruto captive, in order to use the monster for their own purposes."_

"Wow, it doesn't sound so bad when I put it _that _way." Naruto said facetiously, standing up straight again. Feeling sorry for himself wouldn't accomplish anything. Just the same, viewing his life as a play of sorts got him thinking. The early years would be a Tragedy, without a doubt. Some of his attempts to fit in at the Academy, and his first few weeks with Team Seven, could be seen as a Comedy. Since he was willing to be generous, he might see his later days with his team, especially his adventures after the Chuunin exams, as some kind of Drama or Adventure.

One thing was quite conspicuous in its absence. Romance. He wondered if that had been an oversight when the script of his life was being written. Looking around the room, and running through a litany of his rejections that night, he wondered if he would _ever_ find something that other people took for granted.

"Stupid Hokage." He clenched his fists. "Stupid Festival." He looked over at his bag, the one holding his gift and his Lantern. "Stupid Lantern." When he sat down at his table again, he was tempted to say "Stupid origami cranes." He didn't. Ayame had gone to a lot of trouble to help him tonight. It might not be easy, but he owed it to her and himself to keep going. He smiled for a moment. "Stupid Ninja Way…"

"_Lift just the top layer of the paper there. Think of this as opening a frog's mouth. Open it up and back to that line Crease the line inside the frog's mouth."_

A frog's mouth. No doubt his concept of a frog's mouth would be vastly different than most of the people in this room. Some of the girls were probably afraid to even pick up a frog. No doubt a lot of the guys had spent time catching frogs down by one of the ponds, but those would be the type that could be carried in a pocket or dropped down the back of someone's shirt.

Naruto smiled. Gamakichi and Gamatatsu were about the size of his head. It would take a fairly big piece of folding paper to make an origami frog mouth that big. Of course, their father, Gama-Bunta, was somewhere between fifty and one hundred meters high.

The Frog Boss sometimes talked like a gangster. Memories of prior encounters had Naruto picturing a very unlikely scene. He could walk up to some girl, offer her his Lantern, and then summon Gama-Bunta. The giant frog would say 'I have Jingi with that boy. Would you rather take his Lantern, or ride me until sun up and become my subordinate?' What girl could turn down an offer like _that?_

Unfortunately, giant Frogs were not likely to be chick magnets.

"_Press on this point and that one to reverse the folds along lines this line and that one. The trick is to get the paper to lie flat in the long diamond shape. At first it will seem impossible. Have patience."_

Everyone kept telling him to have patience. It was supposed to be some kind of virtue or something. It was one of the cardinal necessities of being shinobi, especially if one were assigned to a spy mission or an assassination. If he had a coin for every time that Jiraiya had counseled him to slow down and think, he'd need a purse the size of Oyabun.

"I'm not much of a chick magnet either," he groused. He looked a few tables over, where one genin boy was hugging his Lantern to his chest, while four girls all huddled near him What did someone like that have that _he_ didn't?

Naruto thought back to his conversation with the Hokage. What had Old lady Tsunade called him? A scruffy looking guy who doesn't pay much attention to his appearance. A loud mouth whose bragging hides the fact that he's lonely and wants to be accepted. Someone who is so clueless, so poor with words, and so self conscious, that he convinces himself that none of it matters.

Well, after being shepherded by Anko and Kurenai, he no longer looked scruffy at all. With every girl he had approached, he spoke politely and respectfully. Yet, to be honest, he really didn't reallycare about things like that. Maybe his feelings were coming across in the way he presented himself. But, what could he do? There was no way he could change overnight!

'Why did I have to come back. Why do you want to see me hurt?' He thought about his question to Tsunade. If he was capable of being hurt, he must care about something, right? "I hope you know what you're doing, Old Lady…"

"_Turn the paper over. Repeat Steps 6 through 9 on the other side. When you have finished, your paper will look like this diamond with two legs at the bottom. Taper the diamond at its legs by folding the top layer of each side in this direction along those lines so that they meet at the center line."_

Naruto looked at his watch. He needed to pick up the pace. He had _tanzaku_ to write and hang. Then, he needed to be at the boat ceremony. Each of the young men was responsible for lighting a candle, then handing it to a child to put on one of the boats that the young ones had worked hard to make.

Would any parent let their child take a candle from him? Maybe. A lot of young families had settled in the village after Kyuubi had been defeated.

"Wait for me. I'll be back in just a second. There' someone I want to say hello to! That was another familiar voice. Naruto watched as a slender and attractive young woman ran between tables not too far from him, her hair done up in fancy buns..

**Ten Ten**

Staring at the kunoichi as she hurried past, Naruto realized for the umpteenth time how much he had begun taking notice of girls. He found his throat dry. He followed her figure until she ran out of sight. It wasn't the buns on her head that he had been captivated by.

There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that must have been fighting for a chance to offer their gifts and lanterns to _her. _If he fighting skills had improved as much as her looks had, she would be a very formidable opponent.

Naruto sighed. She had turned down his offer too. Someone else had asked her earlier in the evening.

"_Flip the paper over. Repeat steps 14 and 15 on this side to complete the tapering of the two legs. This figure has two skinny legs. Lift the upper flap at that spot… and just the upper flap… then fold it over in this direction… as if turning the page of a book."_

Alright, he was making good progress now, repeating that step on his long row of fledgling birds. Unlike mostly everyone else, Naruto had not chosen to work on one crane at a time. Instead, showing his talent for unpredictability, he chose to work on one step at a time. It worked for him.

Sakura. Ino. Ten Ten. He had been looking for them. But, something was tugging at one corner of his mind. He was forgetting someone. He just knew it. _Who?_

Fireworks began to light up the sky outside the window. That was another sign that that he needed to get his rear in gear. Nonetheless, he took a moment to watch the gigantic colorful blossoms that were blooming high over the village.

He smiled, thinking back to some of the few moments that he truly treasured during his youngest years. Sneaking away from the orphanage, he would crawl to the top of one of the tallest buildings in Konoha. From there, his goggles pulled over his eyes, a bag of bag pilfered snacks at his side, he would watch the fireworks with an impossibly large grin on his face.

Goggles? Goggles!

"Moegi," Naruto snapped his fingers, remembering the three youngsters who had taken to wearing goggles just like he once had. No. _Not_ Moegi. She would only be about eleven years old by now.

"_Flip the entire figure over. Repeat the 'book fold' on this side. Be sure to fold over only the top 'page'. This figure looks like a fox with two pointy ears at the top and a pointy nose at the bottom." _

He looked down at the table. A long line of fox-shaped paper shapes sat on the table in front of him. It almost seemed like they were taunting him. Blinking rapidly, he grunted as he completed one crane after another.

One fox was more than enough.


	5. Small Reunions

Naruto stood quietly, his head bowed.

He had just finished placing offerings of parched rice, melons, and eggplants in front of the village altar, as he did not have a _butsudan_ of his own.

Although he didn't believe in the supernatural aspect of the ceremony, he could still honor the spirits of his ancestors in this manner. He looked up at the night sky with a questing look. Just who were his ancestors? Would he ever find out? Surely someone must know!

Looking at the ornate cloth-covered construct, he felt an indescribable rush of emotions. It wasn't the garlands of flowers covering the _butsudan_ that did it. It wasn't the numerous paper lanterns filling that part of the secluded alcove. It wasn't the offerings left by others. It wasn't the people silently bent in prayer.

The oldest members of the village still believed that deceased family members would revisit the homestead during the _Bon,_ to be reunited with their family. To guide the souls back, a small bonfire, the _mukae-bi_, is lit outside each house. 'The welcoming flame.'

Looking up and down the avenues leading from the square, he could see small fires in the distance. The ones that were not moving represented the many mukae-bi. The ones that were in motion were Lanterns and torches carried by the townspeople, young and old alike. Like himself, the other shinobi were headed back from the water, where they had released small boats with candles, sending them down the river to the sea. That was another event that would precede the _okuri-bi_, a bonfire made to see the spirits back on their way.

Holding his bag tight against him, Naruto looked up at the star lit sky one more time. Wiping a tear away, he spoke quietly to the parents that he had never known. He hoped they were proud of him, and promised that he would keep doing his best in everything he did. What kind of traditions had his mother and father followed? Without knowing that, he somehow felt incomplete and empty.

"I'll start my own traditions, some day…" He promised himself that, heading back out to the main avenue. "But, I will _not_ call it Bon!" He shook his head. 'Bon' wasshortened form _Urabonne. _That Sanskrit word meant 'hanging upside down in hell and suffering.' What a wonderful sense of beauty the old traditionalists had!

Like the other children and young adults of the Leaf, Naruto had been told about the old ways as he sat waiting by the river. There had been a young boy standing near him who had lost both of his parents the day that the Sand and Sound had attacked. Desperately trying to attract attention, the boy had worn his boat and candle like a hat on his head, earning him jeers and teasing from his classmates. That had Naruto's thoughts going back to his own days as a child, and to the stories that Iruka had told him about similar things from his past.

Certain themes seemed to repeat themselves. While there were many families who knew nothing but happiness, there were plenty that shared tragic events with their neighbors and friends. On top of that, any number of shinobi families suffered their own private tragedies. It was a harsh life. The love of family and friends was one thing that helped hold the fabric of the society together.

Naruto had given the boy words of encouragement, telling him that he too had grown up without parents. "If you have a good heart, good eyes, and work really hard, you may end up being Hokage some day. Just like I will."

Naruto headed over towards the men's meeting area. The male shinobi involved in the lantern ceremony would be gathering there, waiting for a brief word from Tsunade. The girls had already gone to wait at locations of their choice, including the meeting hall, their homes, a quiet grove of trees, cafes… wherever.

He though back to earlier that evening, when he had been on his way to the boat ceremony:

'**Ooooo-ooo-oo-oh**… can it be?' The energetic figure of Lee had flashed into view, the young ninja seeming to appear out of nowhere. His long flowing robes were all green, identical to the color of his and his master's infamous green stretchy suits. 'Naruto…is it you? **_Ahhh-hh-h_**…the burning fire of youth will never be denied. You are taller. Stronger looking. Like me, you look eager for this night.'

Eager? Naruto snorted, thinking back to that exchange. He had been anything _but_ eager! But because Lee had an overabundance of eagerness, he assumed that everyone else felt the same way that he did

The two of them had conversed for a while, catching up on past and current events. As it had been with his other friends, this was the first that he had seen of Rock Lee since he had gone off with Jiraiya. As they strolled along the roadway, the two ninjas had passed by a number of residences, each having a small tree out front, hung with ribbons and message tags of various shapes, sizes, and colors.

'**Ohhhh-hhh-hh-h**…****ill you be showcasing your unceasing energy and indomitable spirit at the dancing?' Lee's eyes had looked like they were on fire, reflecting the flames from torches lining the well trodden path they had turned on to. 'I will select a dance that has much kicking, so I can make up for my training inadequacies earlier in the day!'

The word 'dance' had hit him squarely between the eyes. He hadn't heard anything about dancing. Lee had then gone on to explain that everyone would be meeting in the large central area of the village after midnight. Men and women would line up around a high wooden building called a _yagura,_ made especially for the festival. There would be many kinds of music, and many types of dancing.

_Gujou_ dancing, was based on multiple dance patterns, each easy to learn. _Shiraishi Odori _would have each person dancing the dance that he or she is good at, and as a whole, several types of dances would be danced at once. _Tsuwano Odori _dancing would be carried out by those more tied to traditions, as it would last very long, and was rather difficult to learn. A delicate and beautiful dance, it required the participants to wear white costumes and round paper fans attached to their heads.

'**_Uhhh-hh-h_**…' Lee had said at one point. 'The lyrics of old Bon dancing tends to be rather vulgar. I do not care that the adults once used that kind of talk to drive away their gloom. I do not wish to have Sakura hearing such things!'

That statement had solved one mystery. Lee had been the one whose Lantern Sakura accepted. He had felt jealous of his friend at that moment, even though the bushy-eyebrowed boy admitted that the medical ninja still would not accept his offers for a date.

When Lee had run off to do some last minute preparations, Naruto had stumbled upon Choji. There had been no difficulty recognizing the rotund boy, as he now resembled his father in shape and countenance, if not total size. The robes that his friend wore were lined with huge pockets. As always, he was munching away at chips pulled from numerous bags.

'_Hey! Choji!'_ Naruto had yelled, surprised to see that the other shinobi wasn't shadowing Shikamaru as he once was wont to do.

"Naruto! Isn't this a wonderful festival?' Choji had taken a handful of round treats out of one overstuffed pocket and offered them to his friend. to passersby by old women and 'Yuanxiao… _(Glomp)…_ So good… _(Glomp)…_ I could eat them… _(Glomp)… _all night…'

'No thanks,' Naruto had said, grinning. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Watching Choji act that way had made him feel more at home than any of the sights that he had seen. The same could be said for Lee's enthusiastic exclamations, and maybe even Sakura's punch to the gut.

He and Choji had walked through streets near to the heart of the village, in an area dense with habitations and stores. Like the other shinobi they saw walking along, they were headed for the Great gate, where they would follow great torch-lines paths into the woods outside the village.

'These rice balls… Mother calls them _Tangyuan_… are the special food for the Lantern Festival. I hope they hold the festival every year... _(Glomp Glomp Glomp)…_ dumplings…. made with sticky rice flour and sweet stuffing….' Choji's eyes had widened when he watched Naruto refuse tray after tray of treats. The food was carried out and offered to them by the elderly women who lined the way.

For a moment, Naruto had found himself feeling more comfortable walking with Choji, thinking that if there was anyone else who might have trouble handing out his lantern, it would be his enormous friend. Once again, he learned that it was never wise to judge a book by its cover.

'Hey, Choji?' Naruto had tried to sound nonchalant. 'Do you have any girl you want to ask tonight?'

'Mmmmph… _(Glomp)…_ Mmmm… I thought that anyone who was a good cook would be fine. But I gave up on that.' Those first statements had Naruto feeling relived. 'I had to wait on Shikamaru.'

'Huh?' Naruto had scratched his head. 'Did he come up with some great plan for you?' If he had, Naruto certainly wanted to hear it!

'Nah… _(Glomp)…_ he had a hardest choice… _(Glomp)…_ the Hokage invited small numbers of shinobi from other villages to take part tonight,' Choji had said between bites. He grabbed an entire tray that was offered to them.

'Why does that matter?' Naruto had asked.

'Temari is here tonight. I guess Shikamaru had to choose between her and Ino.' Choji had smiled, his eyes filled with mirth. 'No doubt it was very bothersome.' He licked his lips, looking at the various types of sweets. 'But, things will be even more troublesome when the festival is over.'

'Why?' Naruto had said.

'He chose Temari. She will leave after the festival is complete.' Choji said. 'But, Ino will still be here. When she accepted my Lantern, she didn't seem too happy.'

'Why is Temari here?' Naruto had been shocked enough to delay the disappointment he felt at seeing Choji succeed where he had failed. He wondered if Gaara and Kankouro had come as well. Probably not Gaara. A Kage would be too tempting a target for people with grudges or enemies looking to disrupt alliances.

'Just like with the chuunin exams, other countries were given the opportunity to send a small number of shinobi.' Choji had shrugged. It didn't matter much to him. There was plenty of food to go around. 'They're being escorted around to the different ceremonies by jounin.'

'I see,' Naruto had said. He had not put a lot of stock in the whole festival idea. But, it was a pretty big affair, if the other nations were taking place. Still, that didn't do him much good, wandering the streets and paths looking for a ceremonial partner.

When the two ninjas passed by a brightly-lit clearing that was serving as a refreshments area, Choji couldn't resist; he had to see what kind of food was there. Saying good bye to Naruto, he had headed off in search of even more food, hoping to run a cross his friend later.

Naruto had continued onward, mingling with the townspeople and his fellow ninjas. At one point, not entirely certain how he had ended up there, he took to resting by leaning against a large spreading tree. He hadn't been physically tired. The enormity of the festival, combined with the complexity of his life, was enough to make him want to step away from the surging crowd for a few moments.

'Overwhelmed?' A voice had said. "I feel that way myself. I am not one for pomp and circumstance." It was Neji.

'Yes…" Naruto had answered absentmindedly, before the sound of that voice snapped him out of his funk. _'Neji!'_ His eyes widened.

'Yes. I had not known that you would join us tonight. Is this by your choice?' Neji had been dressed in an old traditional robe, gifted to him by his uncle. It had been Hyuuga Hizashi's when he was a young man.

'No,' Naruto had answered sourly. "It was one of those 'no choice' deals. I received a scroll ordering me back. I had to attend the festival, or consider myself a missing ninja.' He had shaken his head in disbelief. 'That's a bit excessive!'

'It was much the same for me,' Neji had confessed. 'I told my uncle that I did not want to get involved in such a frivolous undertaking. His first response was to tell me to take a closer look at things and to keep an open mind.' Neji's eyes had looked eerie when he stepped out into a patch of moonlight. 'He then told me that it was a clan's duty to uphold tradition. I was given two choices. I could attend the festival as a representative of the Hyuugas, or I could make an appointment with the Hokage and convince her that I need not do so.'

'Did you try?' Naruto had asked.

'I figured it would be like approaching a tsunami, asking it not to blow.' Neji had sighed, shrugging.

'**Exactly!'** Naruto had punched his friend lightly in the shoulder. 'I tried, but that only earned me her special attention.' He had gone on to describe his ordeal. When he was finished he ask 'Do you have a girl picked out?'

'Yes.' It had taken Neji a while to answer.

'Ten Ten?' Naruto had his suspicion.

Another stretch of silence was followed by 'Yes.' Neji sounded somewhat disconsolate.

'Is there a problem, Neji?' Naruto hadn't wanted to pry. It was merely his concern for others that had risen to the top. 'Does she like someone else or something?'

'There may indeed be a problem,' Neji had answered. 'I take it then that my and her fondness for one another has not been a secret? Ten Ten told me that much, even though we remain very discrete. But…' Naruto waited silently. Neji looked up at the sky before speaking again. Being a member of the Branch Family had been hard enough in itself. Now that he had gained the favor of the Main Family, he found himself caught up in their special traditions. 'The Hyuuga talents run stronger in me than it has in anyone in the past three generations. In a few short years of training with him, I have nearly become my uncle's match.' He paused again. 'To maintain that Blood Limit to its utmost, I may be forced to choose my bride from amongst the clan.'

'**That sucks!'** Naruto's response had been automatic and emotional. He felt a bit sheepish for a moment after his passion crested. He had been upset over being forced to attend a festival. His friend was faced with something far more draconian. _'Shit._ That's just wrong. After this damn festival is over, I'll march into Granny Tsunade's office and ask her to put an end to that kind of stuff.'

'I appreciate your desire to help,' Neji had said. 'But, I will ask you not to interfere. This is something that I must handle on my own. Ten Ten would expect no less.' He looked up at the moon for a moment. 'While the Hokage is an honorable woman, she is also very wise. She will not put the welfare of two individuals above the welfare of the village. I have no idea how she might rule. If she came down on the side of my uncle and made it official…'

'I hear you.' Naruto had been very angry. Having no clan of his own, he did not give a fig for family traditions or Blood Limits. 'At least you have someone to care about you.' He had kicked at the base of the tree. 'And, you don't have to worry about finding someone to take your Lantern.'

Neji had opened his mouth to speak, but shook his head instead.

'_What?_' Naruto had the impression that his friend knew something that he did not, but was not going to say anything. 'What were you going to say?'

Neji had sighed. 'I cannot say anything. I swore not to.' He started to walk away. Stopping, he spoke somewhat cryptically. 'There is a person you could ask. Later, there is a place that you might find her, should you miss her during the ceremonies.' With that, he vanished into the crowd.

Just what had Neji meant? His thoughts coming back to the present time, Naruto wracked his brain, knowing that he must be overlooking something obvious. No doubt, if the truth had been a snake, it would have bitten him numerous times by now. Maybe it was due to the one cuff he had received from Anko. It had left his ears ringing. He had been acting the wise ass, asking her if she wanted to strip down and scrub his back. Things could have been worse. She could have said 'yes.'

He stopped and stared a moment. He thought that he had caught sight of someone familiar. He had. Kiba. Despite the number of people walking about, he kept running into his friends by accident.

"_Oi! Kiba!"_ Naruto put his hands around his mouth and shouted. He shook his head in disbelief. Akamaru was easy to see, and not just due to his huge size. The dog was carrying a massive lit lantern, hanging from his mouth by a long handle.

"**W-O-O-F-!" **Akamaru exclaimed. Kiba hadn't recognized Naruto yet. The dog knew him by his scent.

"Naruto?" Kiba looked over at his fellow shinobi. "How goes it! You've grown!"

"Me?" Naruto laughed. "Look at Akamaru. I can't believe that's him."

"Huh?" Kiba made a face. "Why not?"

"He's huge! He used to be a cute little guy, able to ride on you head." Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "Is it normal for dogs to get that big, or grow that fast?"

"I guess I'm just used to him," Kiba said, shrugging. "You grew pretty fast, too. But Akamaru is still better looking."

"**A-R-F!"** Akamaru agreed.

"Thanks," Naruto said, making a face. He looked up at some of the balconies coming off of the larger houses. Here were partygoers having a good time, drinks in their hands. Some were waving multi-color sparklers. A number called out words of encouragement. They must not have recognized who he was, either.

"Looks like someone took a sword to your hair…" Kiba smiled. Akamaru did too. He held his belly and chuckled after Naruto filled him in on the details. "How do you manage to keep getting into that kind of trouble? I can't wait to see Kurenai-sensei again. This gives me something to rag on her about. Did she stare at you naked?"

"She never took her clothes off," Naruto joked.

"Shit!" Kiba hung his head. "That's a bad one…"

"**AROOO-_OO-O_…"** Akamaru snorted. The dog rubbed his nose against Naruto's robes and spoke to Kiba in his whiny dog voice. It was a strange sound for an animal that size.

"That _is_ a surprise, Akamaru." Kiba smiled and nodded his head. He looked at Naruto. "Nice new robes. No Ramen stains."

"You guys crack me up," Naruto grumped. He wasn't that bad, _was_ he? Hand behind his head, he looked over at the large globe that Akamaru carried. "Is that his Lantern or your own."

"That's his," Kiba said, holding up a bag"Mine is in here." He frowned for a moment. "I'm going to be in big trouble tomorrow, though."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"I could have used three Lanterns!" Kiba stood straighter, sticking out his chest. "I had three girls wanting me to choose them."

"Got a girl to spare?" Naruto tried to sound nonchalant, not desperate or too eager.

"Not any more," Kiba said. "Too bad you didn't find me when we were folding origami." That comment had Naruto hanging his head.

"**A-R-F A-R-F A-R-F W-O-O-F." **Akamaru swung his Lantern back and forth.

"Akamaru says he could probably find you a bitch to carry your Lantern." Kiba smiled. "He means a girl dog." He looked up at his canine companion. "That wouldn't count, Akamaru. And, it wouldn't be fair to the bitch."

"Hah hah hah…" Naruto made a face. When Kiba said that he and Akamaru were going to grab a quick bite to eat, Naruto said 'Good bye' and headed towards the gathering spot. He couldn't help by smile when he heard Kiba telling the massive dog that he could not chase after a small cat that caught sight of them and took off like a shot. He smirked. "I hope he's still housebroken…"

Sure enough, after he headed down one small side street, his luck continued. He caught sight of another friend. _"Yo! Shikamaru!"_

"Naruto." Shikamaru was dressed in an old style of robes, probably a hand-me-down. He didn't look too happy to be caught up in all of the festivities.

"Pretty bothersome, _right?"_ Naruto asked, smiling.

"You don't know the half of it." Shikamaru sighed. "The Hokage suggested that I be the one who offered Temari a Lantern. I would have done so anyway. But, coming as an unofficial order made it troublesome."

"Why?" Naruto had an impish grin. "I would think it's a stroke of good luck!" He chuckled. "If Ino gets on your case, you can tell her it was all beyond your control."

"We've missed that kind of thinking around here," Shikamaru said, smiling a sly smile. "It seems that some things never change."

"Hey. When you got it, you got it.' Naruto poked his thumb against his chest. His smile faded.

'No girl?' Shikamaru didn't need to put his hands together in famous fashion to figure that one out. When Naruto nodded, he said "Now _that's_ bothersome."

They continued to speak as they walked. Having heard about the history of the various ceremonies as he walked around with visiting dignitaries earlier, Shikamaru repeated what he had heard.

"The dance is supposed to be such a happy thing. I do not know why. That kind of activity is an annoyance." Shikamaru sighed. He had been told in no uncertain terms that he needed to attend. The dances were not mandatory for most revelers.

"Tell me about it," Naruto said. "Girl or no girl, you won't catch me dead out there!"

"The dances… the other ceremonies… all of the different parts of the Bon have changed over the centuries… but they can still be traced back to one story." Shikamaru looked as if he had just sucked on a lemon. "It seems that we all have one guy to thank."

"Who?" Naruto asked.

"Do you _really _wish to hear the tale?" Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "With the foreign names, it is very irritating to tell."

"Sure, go ahead." Naruto hid a smile. It was vintage Shikamaru. But, he actually found himself interested.

"A disciple in some foreign land learned to see the true nature of his mother's unselfishness, and the many sacrifices that she had made for him," Shikamaru said. "Grateful because of his mother's release, he danced with great joy."

"Release?" Naruto furrowed his brow.

Shikamaru sighed again. It looked as if he needed to continue. "In a foreign land, there was a man of wisdom by the name Maudgalyayana, who was gifted with transcendental powers."

"Huh?" Naruto tugged at one ear. "Mauda-_who." _He shook his head. "I would never dance for joy if I had a name like _that."_

"Maudgalyayana," Shikamaru said. "His mother was named Shodai-nyo." He made a wry face. "That name OK with you, Naruto?"

"Sure. Fine. Go ahead." Naruto brushed off one sleeve of his robes.

"Great," Shikamaru said. "Shodai-nyo had been guilty of the faults of greed and stinginess, and after her death was reborn in the realm of Hungry Spirits. But, her son rescued her from there. The young boy originally had no way of knowing where she was. As he grew older, he made an exhaustive study sacred writings, but _still _did not know where his mother had been reborn. When Maudgalyayana…" He was interrupted.

"Hey, why don't you just shorten it to Maud or something," Naruto said.

Shikamaru hung his head. "When Maudgalyayana was able to free himself from the illusions of thought, and went on to advance to through the stages of sagehood, he mastered the skill of the divine eye. He could see throughout the entire world system as though it were reflected in a clear mirror. His vision penetrated the earth and he could see into the three evil paths as if he were merely looking down through a layer of ice, just as a normal person might see fish beneath a frozen pond when the morning sun shines on it."

"Very poetic," Naruto said. "You should read that kind of stuff to Temari." He laughed when he saw his friend's expression. "No… to Ino. That will make her glad you didn't offer her the Lantern."

Shikmaru continued, a pained expression on his face. "As Maudgalyayana looked down, he saw that his mother was in the realm of Hungry Spirits."

"Choji's ancestors?" Naruto asked with a straight face.

"Do you really want to hear this?" Shikamaru asked. When Naruto apologized, he continued.

"Shodai-nyo had nothing to drink, nothing to eat. Her skin was like that of a golden pheasant when its feathers have been plucked. Her bones were like round stones placed one beside the other. Her head was big as a ball, her neck thin as a thread, and her stomach like a great sea swelling out." He frowned. The imagery was far from pleasant. "Her appearance, as she opened her mouth and pressed her palms together begging for something, made her resemble a starving leech that has caught the scent of human beings."

"Starving leech. Wonderful." Naruto scratched his head again. "They should have paintings of _that_ hung all over town."

"Maudgalyayana was so overwhelmed with pity at the sight of his mother that he immediately employed his great powers and offered her some rice, Shikamaru said. "His mother was delighted and, seizing some of the rice in her right hand, while concealing the remainder with her left, she stuffed the rice into her mouth. But, the rice changed into fire and began to burn! It burst into flame as though a bundle of torches had been lit. Seeing that, he summoned forth a great flood of water." He shrugged. "But, the water turned into firewood and his mother's body only burned more fiercely."

"So, is _that_ the reason we're supposed to dance?" Naruto couldn't help himself.

"Maudgalyayana, realizing that his own transcendental abilities were altogether inadequate to remedy the situation, raced away and in an instant appeared in the presence of the Buddha." Shikamaru yawned. "He presented a tearful appeal. 'When I try to rescue my own mother from the great sufferings that beset her, I seem only to make her anguish worse than before, which fills my heart with grief!'"

Naruto yawned too.

"Buddha said 'Your mother has committed grave misdeeds. You alone do not have the power to remedy this situation'," Shikamaru continued. "'And indeed no one, neither the gods of heaven, the gods of earth, the devils of heaven, the Brahmans, the Taoist priests, the Four Heavenly Kings, nor the gods Taishaku and Bonten have the power to do so. Therefore, on the proper calendar day, you should bring together all the holy monks of the ten directions, prepare offerings of food and drink representing a hundred different flavors, and present them for the purpose of rescuing your mother from her sufferings'."

"Let me guess," Naruto said. "Maud did what the Buddha told him to do, and his mother was freed."

"Yes." Shikamaru went on to describe how some of the various variations of the Urabon ceremonies had come to be. After that, checking his watch, he went to wait for Choji at a prearranged place.

Alone, Naruto made his way to one of the city squares. He caught sight of Tsunade, standing on a platform decorated with huge wreaths and countless chains of flowers. She wore a tall ornamental headdress, and was dressed in a long flowing robe that made the one that he had on look like a big dust rag. A number of elders accompanied her, as did the heads of Konoha's more prominent clans.

At the appointed hour, all of the dignitaries made brief speeches before Tsunade took her turn. When she finished, she struck a large bronze gong. "Take out your lanterns, gentlemen." Everyone did as they were instructed, lighting their Lanterns. Soon, the area took on a wondrous glow.

When the gong sounded again, those young men who had found girls to accept their Lanterns headed off to meet with their partners. Those who were no so fortunate were sent out to continue on their quest.

Naruto sighed. He wasn't alone, but he was very much in the minority. That sucked enough by itself. But now, he would have to walk around carrying a lit Lantern.

"I can't thank you enough," he muttered, looking over at the Hokage.


	6. Lonely Light

The sound of crickets was all that Naruto heard.

Crickets, the crunch of broken pavement beneath his feet, and his own labored breath.

His Lantern swinging, he headed off for the training grounds. It was some place he could be alone. Some important moments in his life had taken place there. If he could find solace in any part of the Hidden Leaf village, that might be it.

"I tried," he said. "I really _did_ try. Why does this kind of thing happen to me?"

Blood came from where he had bitten his lip. The sound of his heartbeat was loud in his ears. No one had accepted his Lantern. _Why? _Was it because he was a stranger to most of the girls? Was it because Tsunade had called him in late, after everyone else had an unfair head start? It might be easier to stomach if there were more guys than girls. He didn't know that answer. He wasn't a census taker.

"Maybe it was the stupid Lantern. Maybe I should have gotten one just like everyone else."

No girl had commented poorly on his choice. The younger children thought it was great. Any number of older adults had made faces or rude remarks, but they never said anything to any of the young ladies while he was within hearing.

It didn't have to be the lantern. It could have been any number of mistakes! He should have spoken to Kiba at the meeting hall. He should have demanded that Old Lady Tsunade find some way to help him, since he was at such a disadvantage.

"Why did I even f-cking bother? What good did my f-cking Ninja Way do me this time?"

Finding himself within the confines of the forest, he felt a slight sense of relief. There wouldn't be anyone out here to catch sight of his shame. Maybe he should just douse the stupid candle. No. With the trees blocking out the moonlight, the stupid glowing fox would actually help him find his footing. Needing a moment to gather his emotional bearings, he leaned up against a sap-covered old pine, placing his forehead against the bark and breathing in the soothing scent of its needles.

An image came to mind. It was one that he would remember forever, not only for its uniqueness, but because of the memory of failure that would end up being associated with it. When he had left the gathering, he had been one of the last boys to join a long winding line of shinobi and civilians. The myriad lanterns and the countless colors had looked like some fanciful centipede stretching out through the village streets.

He had actually felt a spirit of adventure, eve a touch of excitement, seeing that wondrous sight. Not only did it capture his imagination, it made him somehow feel powerful, as if he was part of something bigger. As he marched along, thinking about where else he should look for an unclaimed girl, the thought of centipedes brought to mind a story he remembered hearing.

_There had been a warrior named Fujiwara Hidesato. He could not bear to be idle. So he buckled on his two swords, took a huge bow much taller than himself, and slinging his quiver on his back started out. He eventually found himself at the bridge of Seta-no-Karashi spanning one end of the beautiful Lake Biwa._

_No sooner had he set foot on the bridge than he saw lying right across his path a huge serpent- dragon. Its body was so big that it looked like the trunk of a large pine tree and it took up the whole width of the bridge. One of its huge claws rested on the parapet of one side of the bridge, while its tail lay right against the other. The monster seemed to be asleep, and as it breathed, fire and smoke came out of its nostrils._

Naruto cursed. It was just a tale. But, at first, he had allowed it to keep his hopes up, strolling along like he was some kind of hero himself. He had done things that were worthy of telling, _right? _Gama-Bunta. Shukaku. Rasengan. The Fifth Hokage. Going toe to toe with Sasuke. Training with one of the Legendary Sannin. None of the civilians had done anything on _that_ level! How many of his peers had?

He had laughed when the children came out and danced around him, pulling pranks or just expressing all manners of youthful exuberance. Everyone seemed to have firecrackers, sparklers, or small Roman candles. Many of them wore ceremonial clothing, masks, or costumes. There had been something else that was coincidental to the story he had been thinking about. Large dragon floats moved up and down the streets, undulating between revelers and participants alike. Some kind of smoke pots allowed the giant puppets to breath smoke out of their nostrils.

Walking over an arched bridge, he almost expected one of the dragons to speak to him. Instead, it had been the townspeople who had been calling things out to one another as they watched folk dancers gambol, gyrate and frolic amongst them. Some had sung songs. Others had called out a list of family ancestors. Some traded ancient riddles.

One riddle in particular had made him feel self conscious, starting the change in his mood. He doubted that some one had seen him first, hitting upon that riddle. But, there was no way to be sure. What did it matter now, anyway?

"Who were the three major devils on earth that have plunged the world into chaos since its creation," one elderly man had called out.

'_Yamata-no-Orochi_… the eight-headed, eight-tailed serpent… he was one.' An old woman waving a long streamer had replied in a loud sing-song voice.

'_Rokumen-happi-no-Jaki'_ another elderly man had answered, dressed in robes that were far older than the grandchildren playing at his feet. 'The six-faced, eight-armed ogre.'

'_Kimmoh-kyubi Hakumen-no-Akko_,' another woman had said, leaning on a carved fence post. She trembled for a moment, and then pointed. "The white-faced evil fox with nine blonde tails."

Her bony finger had been pointed right at Naruto. Things had gone dead silent at that moment. No one moved in the small group nearest to him. His pulse suddenly racing, Naruto heard someone whisper 'Kyuubi.' Soon that word seemed to be on everyone's lips.

He had hurried away from there quickly as he could, feeling as if he had somehow committed a crime. The vaguely four-legged shape of light projected by his Lantern followed him, as if it would run at his heals forever more. Even faced with that, he had tried to keep his spirits up, shrugging off the reactions of that small crowd. Hidesato could have run from the dragon, but had not! He would not let the older villager's prejudice drive him away.

_At first Hidesato could not help feeling alarmed at the sight of this horrible reptile lying in his path, for he must either turn back or walk right over its body. He was a brave man, however, and putting aside all fear went forward dauntlessly. Crunch, crunch! he stepped now on the dragon's body, now between its coils, and without even one glance backward he went on his way. He had only gone a few steps when he heard some one calling him from behind._

Naruto sighed, running his hand up and along the tree, feeling pieces of bark rain down upon his hair and robe. He had persevered. Head held high, and determination in his step, he had politely approached any young woman he came across who did not carry a lantern They all turned him down, but most had been very polite. Some had laughed outright, and others snickered when he had left, but he had dealt with people like that for his entire life.

_On turning back, Hidestao was much surprised to see that the monster dragon had entirely disappeared and in its place was a strange-looking man, who was bowing most ceremoniously to the ground. His red hair streamed over his shoulders and was surmounted by a crown in the shape of a dragon's head, and his sea-green dress was patterned with shells. Hidesato knew at once that this was no ordinary mortal and he wondered much at the strange occurrence. _

_Where had the dragon gone in such a short space of time? Or had it transformed itself into this man, and what did the whole thing mean? While these thoughts passed through his mind he had come up to the man on the bridge and now addressed him:_

_"Was it you that called me just now?"_

_"Yes, it was I," answered the man: "I have an earnest request to make to you. Do you think you can grant it to me?"_

_"If it is in my power to do so I will," answered Hidesato, "but first tell me who you are?"_

_"I am the Dragon King of the Lake, and my home is in these waters just under this bridge."_

_"And what is it you have to ask of me!" said Hidesato._

_"I want you to kill my mortal enemy the centipede, who lives on the mountain beyond," and the Dragon King pointed to a high peak on the opposite shore of the lake._

The long centipede-like string of Lantern bearers had broken apart on its own, as numerous young men left the procession to meet up with their dates, and others approached groups of girls who were waiting expectantly at meeting places that were popular amongst the youths of the village. Naruto saw a number of exchanges taking place, each one leaving him feeling more forlorn than the one before it. As fate would have it, he was a witness when Lee handed his green-colored Lantern to Sakura, who had been waiting under a cherry tree holding on to its last blossoms.

He had told himself not to feel sad or angry. It wasn't as if this was the first time in his life that he had been passed over. He had longs since come to terms with the fact that he was required to walk a path much different than the other shinobi? He had to be strong enough to walk alone, if that was his destiny.

"**But it's not fair!" **He rammed his kunai into the forgiving evergreen. "When am _I _going to get a break?"

Time and time again he had asked, only to find out that he was too late. It reminded him of one fateful day in his past, when the winter gifts were given out at the orphanage. Every child but him seemed to get one. He had looked under every bed, in every cabinet, and twice in every stocking. There was nothing with his name on it. He had been devastated, never having the nerve to ask if he had been purposefully excluded, or if the other orphans had made it a point to snatch away anything belonging to the boy that nobody wanted.

"I thought that things were getting better. Why did you make me do this Old lady? Don't I have enough to worry about?" He took out his kunai and put it away, not bothering to wipe off the sticky aromatic material.

Naruto fought back tears of frustration. He had kept his emotions bottled up over the past few years, much too busy with his training to dwell on his feelings. He needed to get stronger to bring back Sasuke. He needed to learn as much as he could, to stay one step ahead of Akatsuki's clutches.

He had seen Neji walking gracefully along the avenue. One step behind him, Ten Ten had followed, clutching a Lantern to her chest as if it was the most precious item in the world. He had caught sight of Temari twirling her lantern, making fiery shapes in the darkness, taunting a rather solemn looking Shikamaru. He had watched as Kiba and his date rode on Akamaru's bag, the dog trotting happily along the main thoroughfare.

His friends all had to work hard, too. They all did their best to protect the Leaf. He was not the only one with a difficult life. But, at least tonight, it seemed that they got to see a lot of good along with the bad. He could no longer say the same thing for himself. Trying not to drown in self-pity, he thought back to the tale.

_"I have lived now for many years in this lake and I have a large family of children and grand-children. For some time past we have lived in terror, for a monster centipede has discovered our home, and night after night it comes and carries off one of my family. I am powerless to save them. If it goes on much longer like this, not only shall I lose all my children, but I myself must fall a victim to the monster. I am, therefore, very unhappy, and in my extremity I determined to ask the help of a human being. _

_For many days with this intention I have waited on the bridge in the shape of the horrible serpent-dragon that you saw, in the hope that some strong brave man would come along. But all who came this way, as soon as they saw me were terrified and ran away as fast as they could. You are the first man I have found able to look at me without fear, so I knew at once that you were a man of great courage. I beg you to have pity upon me. Will you not help me and kill my enemy the centipede?"_

Could he show that kind of bravery some day? Yes. He had no doubt about that. When Sasuke had been in danger in the Forest of Death, he had stopped one of Orochimaru's giant snakes. When Sakura had been close to death, he had stood up to Gaara and Shukaka, even though he had been badly frightened by the Sand shinobi's power and persona at the hospital. When Tsunade had been shaken up by the sight of blood, and Jiraiya was laboring under the effects of the drug he had been given, he had stepped up to face Kabuto. When he joined a team of genin, he almost died, trying to bring his errant teammate back to the village.

"A giant centipede would be nothing," He whispered. The image of the giant insect in his mind wavered and became a giant Nine-tailed fox demon, its enormous tails breaking mountains and knocking trees to the ground. He put a hand on his belly.

Yondaime had not been as fortunate as Hidesato. The Yellow Flash did not walk away from his encounter alive. Uzumaki Naruto could never allow himself to do less. He was the Fourth Hokage's legacy, whether he wanted to be or not. It was an awesome thought, realizing just what kind of power was sealed away inside of him.

Being who he was, no matter how down he felt, there was always some spark ready to catch fire, burning away his doubts and fears. He smiled, picturing an impossible fantasy. Wouldn't it be great, if he could somehow remove Kyuubi from within him, but still have the demon under control. What would everyone think, if he led the Nine Tails down the streets of Konoha, a giant lantern hanging from its jaws?

"I'd give anything…" Naruto said, cheering up some as he began to walk again. That would be a tale worth repeating, just like the story of Hidesatoor any of the legends that once had him running though the stuffy corridors of the Children's Home, smacking old nannies on the rump with sticks and other pretend weapons.

_Hidesato felt very sorry for the Dragon King on hearing his story, and readily promised to do what he could to help him. The warrior knew that the monster lived the mountain Mikami, but that it came every night at a certain hour to the palace of the lake. He was conducted to the palace of the Dragon King, under the bridge. _

_Strange to say, as he followed his host downwards the waters parted to let them pass, and his clothes did not even feel damp as he passed through the flood. Never had Hidesato seen anything so beautiful as this palace built of white marble beneath the lake. He had often heard of the Sea King's palace at the bottom of the sea, where all the servants and retainers were salt-water fishes, but here was a magnificent building in the heart of Lake Biwa. The dainty goldfishes, red carp, and silvery trout, waited upon the Dragon King and his guest. _

_Hidesato was astonished at the feast that was spread for him. The dishes were crystallized lotus leaves and flowers, and the chopsticks were of the rarest ebony. As soon as they sat down, the sliding doors opened and ten lovely goldfish dancers came out, and behind them followed ten red-carp musicians with the koto and the samisen. Thus the hours flew by till midnight, and the beautiful music and dancing had banished all thoughts of the centipede._

The festival had felt that way to him for a while, when he let himself stop worrying and began to relax. The village at night had been beautiful. The townspeople had gone to a great deal of work, creating a wonderful feast for everyone. There had been music all over town, and someone had to practice an awful lot to get that good.

One thing was clear. Everyone had their role to play in keeping the spirit of the Fire Country alive. Ninjas. Civilians. Adults. Children. Men. Women. Fighters. Administrators. Cooks. Musicians. Craftsmen. The list went on and on.

That was easy enough to see. He wasn't _totally_ blind, after all. But, he wanted to feel it. It should come naturally, not be forced. It was something a Hokage would need to do.

In any case, as bad as he might feel for himself at the moment, he was happy to see that the people of Konoha still fought so hard to embrace life.

_The Dragon King was about to pledge the warrior in a fresh cup of wine when the palace was suddenly shaken by a tramp, tramp! as if a mighty army had begun to march not far away. _

_Hidesato and his host both rose to their feet and rushed to the balcony, and the warrior saw on the opposite mountain two great balls of glowing fire coming nearer and nearer. The Dragon King stood by the warrior's side trembling with fear._

_"The centipede! The centipede! Those two balls of fire are its eyes. It is coming for its prey! Now is the time to kill it."_

_Hidesato looked where his host pointed, and, in the dim light of the starlit evening, behind the two balls of fire he saw the long body of an enormous centipede winding round the mountains, and the light in its hundred feet glowed like so many distant lanterns moving slowly towards the shore. _

_Hidesato showed not the least sign of fear. He tried to calm the Dragon King. _

_"Don't be afraid. I shall surely kill the centipede. Just bring me my bow and arrows."_

_The Dragon King did as he was bid, and the warrior noticed that he had only three arrows left in his quiver. He took the bow, and fitting an arrow to the notch, took careful aim and let fly._

_T_

_The arrow hit the centipede right in the middle of its head, but instead of penetrating, it glanced off harmless and fell to the ground._

_Nothing daunted, Hidesato took another arrow, fitted it to the notch of the bow and let fly. Again the arrow hit the mark, it struck the centipede right in the middle of its head, only to glance off and fall to the ground. The centipede was invulnerable to weapons! _

_When the Dragon King saw that even this brave warrior's arrows were powerless to kill the centipede, he lost heart and began to tremble with fear._

Hidesato had been pretty sure of himself. He had thought that it would be a piece of cake to dispatch a creature that had made a livelihood of preying on dragons. He was wrong. His arrows had done nothing at first. But, as the rest of the story showed, he had stayed true to his task. All he needed was the right approach. In time, the answer came to him.

In a way, this whole festival was nothing more than one of the arrows he might have to fire in his life. He might do his best, and place himself right on target, only to bounce off. Certainly, that had happened any number of times tonight. He had lost count long ago.

Maybe those people who had counseled confidence actually knew what they were talking about.

_The warrior saw that he had now only one arrow left in his quiver, and if this one failed he could not kill the centipede. He looked across the waters. The huge creature had wound its horrid body seven times round the mountain and would soon come down to the lake. Nearer and nearer gleamed fireballs of eyes, and the light of its hundred feet began to throw reflections in the still waters of the lake. _

_Then suddenly the warrior remembered that he had heard that human saliva was deadly to centipedes. But this was no ordinary centipede. This was so monstrous that even to think of such a creature made one creep with horror. Hidesato determined to try his last chance. So taking his last arrow and first putting the end of it in his mouth, he fitted the notch to his bow, took careful aim once more and let fly._

Human saliva. Why did he have to remember _that _part again? Passing through darkened alley ways earlier, he had stumbled across a number of oblivious couples, lost in their embraces. There had been a lot of kissing going on.

He still had never kissed a girl. He wondered what he was missing. He almost felt as if he wore a badge of shame around his neck.

"There will be someone out there, some day." Naruto wondered if that was true.

_This time the arrow again hit the centipede right in the middle of its head, but instead of glancing off harmlessly as before, it struck home to the creature's brain. Then with a convulsive shudder the serpentine body stopped moving, and the fiery light of its great eyes and hundred feet darkened to a dull glare like the sunset of a stormy day, and then went out in blackness. _

_A great darkness now overspread the heavens, the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed, and the wind roared in fury, and it seemed as if the world were coming to an end. The Dragon King and his children and retainers all crouched in different parts of the palace, frightened to death, for the building was shaken to its foundation. At last the dreadful night was over. Day dawned beautiful and clear. The centipede was gone from the mountain. _

_Then Hidesato called to the Dragon King to come out with him on the balcony, for the centipede was dead and he had nothing more to fear._

He shook his head, snorting. His life had seemed like a legend in the making sometimes. How could it not? But, there certainly was one big difference. When he or any other ninja did well, his reputation might grow, or he might be respected by his peers. In stories, heroes like Hidesato often received some kind of amazing rewards for their heroic fates, or ended up dying in some tragic fashion. It was usually all or nothing.

Yes, Hidesato had been one lucky guy. After being treated to second even more sumptuous feast, he was given a number of miraculous gifts. One, a large bronze bell, made a wonderful offering to a monastery when the warrior returned home. The other three, each possessing some kind of magic, made him fortunate for the rest of his days. The first was a bag of rice. The supply in that bag was inexhaustible. The second was a roll of silk. That would never grow shorter, no matter how much clothing he cut from it. The third was a cooking pot. No matter what was put into it, it cooked deliciously without the need of any fire.

The fame of Hidesato's fortune spread far and wide, and as there was no need for him to spend money on rice or silk or firing, he became very rich and prosperous, and was henceforth known as My Lord Bag of Rice.

"I could certainly do without any stupid nickname," Naruto said to no one in particular. He had always been known as 'That Naruto.' That was bad enough.

Tripping over a rock on the path, Naruto barely managed to maintain his balance. He should put more attention into watching where he walked, and less in thinking about old stories. Why had he been so intent on visiting his old training site, anyway? Maybe it was for the same reason that he had done so just before the Chuunin exams.

Wait a minute! Right before he had gone off to face Neji at the arena, he had walked by the large wooden training posts. He hadn't been alone. _That's_ who he had forgotten.

**Hinata.**

"How could I have forgotten one of the Rookie Nine?" Naruto cursed. The Nine had not been the only ninjas of their given age. That group had merely been the ones that ended up getting to know one another better than they did the other teams

Well, with Hinata, the answer might be simple enough. Now that he thought back, it seemed that she had always been present in one way or another, but had never really stood out until she took center stage at the exams. When two people faced off in the middle of a fighting floor, there was no place to hide. But, everywhere else, it was possible to blend right in with the background.

"That's probably who Neji meant," he said. "But where would she go?"

There was still time left. If he could figure out where Hinata might be, he could ask her to take his Lantern. She might do just that, if she didn't pass out first. He rubbed the back of his neck, remembering the words of encouragement that she had given him once, not far from where he stood right now. Someone who once called him a 'Proud Failure' might not turn him away.

"If she hasn't accepted someone else's Lantern already." That would be just his luck.

Naruto froze. He thought that he had heard a voice. It sounded like a girl's voice. Who could it be, out here, at this hour, on a night like this? And what was that light ahead. It looked to be too large to be cause by a Lantern. Not wanting to give his presence away, he doused his candle and began to move stealthily.

_-_

_On a moonlit night  
The beams strike the hillside  
Through the pine needles  
All year round,  
As constant is my longing_

_-_

It was definitely a girl. But, what was she doing? Why was she doing it now, all the way out here? Could she be singing to her date? If that's the case, the last thing that he wanted to do was intrude. But, the voice didn't sound happy.

Might she be someone who hadn't been offered a Lantern? If that was the case, then he might be in luck. He still had a Lantern! There was only one way to find out. Carefully, assuming that the girl might be kunoichi, he made his way off of the path and through the light underbrush that bordered on side of the training area.

_-_

_In the evening  
How sad seem  
The moths in their  
Disastrous confusion;  
My love does as much to me and more._

_- _

That wasn't singing. It was probably some kind of poetry. He wasn't certain, because he wasn't into that kind of thing. Just the same, he listened to the words. They were haunting, in their own way. Unexpectedly, he found them tugging at his heartstrings.

Slowly, bending saplings out of his way and slipping between spindly bushes frosted with moonlight, Naruto peered into the nearing open stretch of lawn. He couldn't see the girl from that angle. All he saw was a large flickering torch. Large numbers of moths flew about it, and a thick trail of smoke stretched skyward.

_-_

_The months and years  
Add up for me,  
But though they pass  
My thoughts of you  
Will never leave…_

_- _

The more he listened, the more uncomfortable he felt. It was as if he had an unobstructed view directly into someone's heart. Maybe he shouldn't bother making his presence known. If the girl was mourning someone who died, or pining away for someone that she could never have, the last thing she would need would be to have some stranger appear, witnessing her pain.

"But…" Naruto stepped out into the clearing, brushing leaves off of his robes. It would be easy to simply walk away. It probably was the prudent thing to do. However, what if he could do something to help the girl? What if she was just lonely, like he was? If that was the case, his leaving would be like abandoning someone he was assigned to protect.

_-_

_The moon, alone,  
Taunts me from the heavens  
With memories of you;  
Should you feel the same, then  
Our hearts would be as one._

_- _

The voice. It was so plaintive! Not only that, it was familiar. He was sure of it. He had heard that voice before. Where? Who was it? Just as the moths were all drawn to the flame, he was pulled closer to the source of those words.

"I'm an idiot…" Naruto shook his head. He suddenly had a suspicion. Neji's comment began to make sense. It should have made sense to him earlier! But, he had been caught up in the enormity of it all to think things through.

_-_

_Sorrowful, I lift my gaze, but  
He's not there, is all  
My gloomy thought;  
Beyond the streaming clouds  
Lies the evening sky._

_- _

Slowly, Naruto moved onward, each step bringing him a better view of the training grounds. There was a large cluster of young trees ahead. Once he stepped beyond them, he should be able to see the girl.

If he was correct, the girl would have white eyes and Indigo hair. While the voice was somewhat richer than he remembered, the louder it grew in his ears, the more certain he was about who it belonged to. Hinata. He would bet his life that it was her.

_-_

_To be forgotten is  
A cause for sorrow  
On this evening...  
I alone know  
The passing of the months and days._

_-_

Naruto hesitated for a moment, uncertain why he did so. Then, lifting his chin up some, he began to stride casually. This was no time for creeping. He wasn't going to ambush her, after all. It wouldn't do any good to have her thinking that he was sneaking around or something.

As he reached a pot that had an unobstructed view, he caught sight of a young woman dressed in a beautiful kimono, illuminated by the intense moonlight. He couldn't make out the colors in that light, but the long traditional clothing seemed to glow.

She wasn't simply standing still as she spoke. Far from it. Standing close to one of the large wooden posts, she struck out from time to time, striking it with her hands. It was an otherworldly sight, a girl practicing late at night in a kimono. For the briefest of instants, he felt as if he had indeed stepped into a legend.

The girl still had not detected him. Looking her over, Naruto noticed that she had a flower behind one ear and a tall carved ivory comb in her hair. Bathed in moonlight, that hair seemed to glisten. That came courtesy of a crystal-studded hairnet that she was wearing.

The girl spun around, arms up, ready to defend herself if necessary. It took a few moments for Naruto's appearance to register on her. She brought a hand to her mouth.

"N-N-Naruto-kun?"


	7. Secrets

An owl hooted.

For a moment, that was the only sound in the clearing, other than the occasional 'whoosh' of the torch and tentative chirps from the crickets that had gone silent at Naruto's approach.

Naruto watched Hinata. She had become wobbly at the sight of him, and then backed away until she was in the shadow produced by one of the training posts.

"_Hinata?" _He wondered why she was acting so shy again. It was like stepping back into the past. All of his other friends had seemed older and more self-assured. Hinata was the lone exception.

"Ummm… Naruto-kun…" Hinata stepped back out into the moonlight, allowing Naruto a chance to get a good look at her. "I… ummm… I wasn't prepared to see you again…" She shook her head, as if she had said something nonsensical, or had admitted more than she wanted to. Truth be told, she had never told Naruto how she felt about him, and needed time to arrange her thoughts. Especially after her lonely Waka recital.

Naruto stood staring at Hinata for a few moments, before realizing what he was doing. It was rude. But, like with his other friends, he was interested in how she had changed. "You've gotten taller, Hinata." She had. But, while she had been taller than him when he left the village, he was taller than her now. Somehow, that was a relief.

"You… ummm… you have _too, _Naruto-kun." Hinata grimaced when she tried rubbing her fingers together as she had once been prone to do. It wasn't because she was resurrecting a habit she had done away with. The motion caused her pain.

"But not in the same ways that _you_ have…" Naruto froze, foot figuratively wedged in his mouth. While the kimono hid the more relevant details, there was no way to avoid noticing that the young woman had matured in ways that girls were prone to do. "I didn't mean… well I _did_, but…" He sounded like an imbecile.

To cover his embarrassment, he bent over and worked to relight his Lantern. It was supposed to stay lit. What's more, the added light would help him see Hinata better. That is, if he stood closer to her. Striking a long wooden match along the roughened side of his sandal, he opened the door to the decorative fox and lit one of his few remaining candles.

Hinata's eyes stayed on Naruto's face, rather than moving to the small glowing fox form or the bag sitting on the ground near it. "I… ummm… I hadn't heard… I didn't know that you had come back…" There was a catch in her voice, and she was shuffling her feet some. "I hoped…" She had gone to a lot of trouble to look her best, based on a long shot.

"I'm back," Naruto said with a loud exaggerated sigh. He began pulling some thorns out of his robes. Where had _they_ come from? He didn't remember walking through any pricker bushes. "But, only for this festival." He frowned. "The Hokage didn't leave me any choice…"

"You did not want to return?" Hinata asked. "You are not enjoying the festival?" Her voice changed subtly.

"No… of course not… who wants to walk all that way for _this?" _He nudged his Lantern with his foot, almost knocking it over. "I mean, there _were_ some fun parts, I guess…" He put his hands behind his neck, walking in short arcs. "How about you? Why aren't you down with everyone else?" He bit his tongue. That wasn't very smooth.

"I… ummm…" Hinata looked down at her feet. "I was…" She looked up into Naruto's eyes for a moment, and quickly looked away. "I wanted to get stronger…" She swallowed hard. Naruto might not be the most observant shinobi of the Leaf, but he had a good idea that Hinata was too shy or embarrassed to mention her true reason.

"That's always great," Naruto said, making a face. Hinata's kimono looked even more beautiful when he saw it close up. "But you're dressed up so nice, and your hair…" He watched as the moonlight shone of the faceted crystals again.

"I…" Hinata put her hand to her hair. Her blushing was invisible in the available light. "Thank you…"

"Huh? I wasn't complimenting you," Naruto answered automatically, feeling like a cad. "But… well… you know… there's reason to compliment you…" Why did saying that kind of make him feel funny?

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." Hinata didn't now what else to say. She was feeling very dizzy again.

"Hey, you don't have to keep thanking me." Naruto said. "That's… well… you know…" He looked down at his Lantern again. He should probably broach the subject. It certainly would be something that was easier to talk about. "Didn't get offered a Lantern?" Great. That was even smoother, yet!

"A number of boys offered," Hinata admitted. "But… ummm… they were not…." Hinata looked away from Naruto. "They were not who…" She couldn't get any more words out.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised, right?" Naruto said. "That you were asked, I mean." He kicked at a rock on the ground, feeling uncomfortable again. Why? Because he didn't feel a need for bravado around Hinata? That kind of attitude had helped him approach all of the other girls. "As cute as you've become, a lot of guys must have noticed." He flinched. She _had _become cute. That was unexpected. But, his saying something like that was the real shocker.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun…" Hinata brought a hand to her mouth. Her eyes went very wide, reflecting even more moonlight than before. "Oh… I'm sorry… I said 'Thank you' again…"

"Yes… well… it's not the end of the world or something." Naruto couldn't help but stare at Hinata. She had once been a small, shy, dark weirdo. 'Plain' would have been a very good word for her before. She was still acting kind of weird. Shy too. But, she could no longer be called plain. "So, is there some guy you like, but he asked someone else?" Remarkable. He had done it again.

"I don't know if…" Hinata looked down at the fox Lantern. "I don't think he did…" She felt her heart racing. That was getting much too close to being an admission. She didn't know if she was ready for that.

"So there _is _someone!" Naruto struck a pose, proud of his deductive reasoning. "But you…" He deflated somewhat. He felt disappointed. He made a face, pursing your lips. "If you don't know whether he offered his Lantern to someone yet, why aren't you down where he could find you?"

"It's… he… ummm…" The pressure was just too great. Hinata trembled slightly. "Did you… ummm… did someone accept…"

"No." Naruto sounded bitter. "I tried everyone that I saw." He clenched his fists. Why was Hinata hanging her head like that? "But, I didn't see you until now…" He was not about to tell her that she had slipped his mind entirely. Something caught his attention. "Why are you holding your hands like that?"

"They're… ummm… it's really nothing, Naruto-kun…" Hinata put her hands behind her back.

"Huh? Nothing?" He made a face. **"What's that over there!"** He pointed. When Hinata turned, he moved quickly, taking hold of one of her wrists. He turned over her hand. His own hand felt kind of sticky. It's blood. Your hands are _bloody!" _Sure enough, the skin had been torn away from Hinata's palms.

"It's… I…" Hinata suddenly felt very foolish. "Having waited for Naruto to show up earlier, she had given up and come up here, trying to find some way to get things off of her mind. She chose to practice, since getting stronger was something that the two of them both strove for. The pain in her hands had almost made it easier to overlook the aching in her heart.

"Let me see," Naruto said, picking up the Lantern and shining the light on Hinata's injured hands. He then walked over and illuminated the pole she had been practicing on. There were bloody handprints everywhere. "This is crazy…"

Hinata had felt a surge of warmth spread through her when Naruto touched her arm. But, admonition had her lowering her eyes again. "It was… I just…"

"_Hey! _Do you have one of your small jars with you Hinata?" Naruto thought back to his fight against Kiba. "You know, the kind you had at the first Chuunin exams."

"Yes," Hinata said, nodding her head. "In my purse." She looked over at the base of one of the further posts. "I'll…" Soon she was talking to thin air. Naruto had flashed away to retrieve her handbag.

"OK. Come sit over here." Naruto pointed to a stretch of lawn. When Hinata had complied with his command, he opened a jar that he had found in the purse. His hand hadn't fallen off, but it had felt strange to rummage inside a girl's purse. "I'll just put some of this on."

"**No!" **Hinata said, louder than she intended.

"This is no time to be brave or stupid, Hinata!" Naruto scowled. "Now give me your hand."

"That's… ummm… that jar is lip balm, Naruto-kun." Hinata actually managed a shy grin.

"Lip balm…" Naruto closed his eyes. "Alright, so we know who the stupid one is." He handed the purse over to Hinata. "_You _find it." He didn't want to stick his hands in there again. But, her hands were raw and bloody. "Never mind, I'll do it." Hinata smiled, watching Naruto's antics. That only had him feeling even more self-conscious. "Uhhh… lipstick… errr… who knows… hmmm, _this_ stuff smells like that medicine…"

"Yes," Hinata said.

"Great. Good. Fine." Naruto made a face. "Why don't you have them labeled or something?" He shook his head. _"Girls!" _He held out his hand. "OK, give me one of your hands." Gently, he began working the medicine into Hinata's wounds, stopping briefly whenever he heard a loud inrush of breath. "Next one!" He repeated the process. "Now, Uzumaki Naruto to the rescue."

He had been told repeatedly 'No weapons.' So, of course, he had placed a small weapons pouch under his robes. Reaching inside that, he brought out a roll of bandages.

"I'm sorry, Hinata. I guess I have hams for hands…" Naruto struggled somewhat with the gauze wrap, leaving Hinata's hands looking as if they had grown to twice their natural size. "I might have put a bit too much on…"

"You were…" Hinata swallowed hard. "They're wonderful." She held up her hands, unable to keep from giggling when she saw them in better light.

"Wow. Great way to say 'Thank you.' Nice." Naruto made a face. That had Hinata giggling any more. She knew that she sounded childish, but couldn't stop. It actually had her feeling good.

"I'm sorry," Naruto-kun." Hinata had to hide a grin behind her hand.

Naruto glowered at Hinata for a moment, until he began feeling foolish. "Are you developing a sense of humor or something, Hinata?" He tugged at one earlobe.

Hinata shook her head. She simply felt so much more alive, now that Naruto was nearby. But, there was no way that she could tell him something like that, _was_ there?

"I heard the poetry kind of stuff," Naruto said, looking for something to say. He had forgotten about his lantern for the moment. "It was kind of sad." Now, why did he bring that up?

Hinata remained seated, and placed her bandaged hands in her lap. She wouldn't lie, if she could help it. That meant silence was her best approach. The silence became uncomfortable to Naruto. That silence stretched on long enough to be uncomfortable for both of them.

"Is there someone you've really come to like, Hinata?" Naruto felt compelled to ask that. He had looked over at the fox Lantern again. While it was OK to ask _any_ girl, he might feel uncomfortable offering the Lantern to Hinata if she had her heart set on someone else.

"I…" Hinata bit her lip. The next words came out on their own: "Did you see Neji… did he tell you…" She tensed up, feeling the urge to run and hide somewhere. Now that she was sitting so close to him, some of her bad habits were returning.

"What? Neji?" Naruto made a face. "You can't actually like your cousin _that_ way…"

"N-N-No…" Hinata shook her head.

"I did see Neji. He wasn't too happy about being made to do this festival stuff, either." Naruto frowned. Ten his eyes widened. "He did tell me that there was a girl I should ask…" He had finally begun putting two and two together. "But, he wouldn't tell me her name, or let me know where to look…"

"Good…" Hinata fidgeted for a moment. "I mean…"

"So… any way…" Naruto was tired of trying to dance around the subject. That was not the Uzumaki way. Usually, he just plowed ahead, letting the chips fall where they may. "Since you don't have a Lantern or anything…" He stopped, thinking back to what Ayame had coached him about earlier. He might as well just throw the Lantern at her and say 'Here, take it!' He coughed. Gift giving is an art form. Friendship, honor, and even gratitude. That was the thing he was supposed to remember. "Wait… let me start again…" He had begun sweating.

Hinata sat patiently, holding her breath. She shivered slightly, but not because of the chill breeze that had swirled around the two of them and then gone on its way. Was Naruto going to offer his Lantern to her? Was her dream about to come true?

Naruto decided to offer a gift before the Lantern. Somehow, that seemed more appropriate. But, _what_ gift? There were three to choose from. Ayame had made it sound like he should decide on only one. Her mother had been of an entirely different opinion.

"Hey, Hinata…" Naruto slowed down. He was supposed to be dignified, or something like that. Reaching into his bag, he tried to recall the points that Ayame had made. "I know this gift is insignificant compared to you, Hyuuga Hinata; but, I would be grateful if you would see fit to accept it from one such as me." He had grabbed one box at random, unable to decide again.

Hinata sat frozen. She couldn't believe what she had heard. Not only had he offered her anv gift, he had done it in such eloquent fashion. She pinched herself, to make certain that she wasn't dreaming.

Naruto began fidgeting. Was Hinata trying to find some nice way to let him down easy? Probably. Why did he even bother to get his hopes up? But, Ayame had told him that some girls will politely refuse a gift once or twice before accepting it.

Hinata reached her hands out tentatively, as if she were going to try and remove a booby-trapped seal or touch something that might be very very hot. A couple of tears rolled down her cheeks, coursing down under her chin. She took the box off of Naruto's hand and cradled it in her arms.

"Thank you for this gift, Naruto-kun." Hinata smiled. Her whole face opened up, like a flower about to bloom. "I accept." She wiped one of her eyes, and then the other. "The words were…"

"Pretty clumsy, huh?" Naruto looked down at his sandals. "It was easier learning Rasengan…" Why was she crying? Was she sad that someone else hadn't asked her. Or, was she happy. The look on her face suggested that. Maybe she had been afraid that she would be overlooked and forgotten. He certainly knew how _that_ felt.

"No…" Hinata shook her head. "Very nice…" She worked up the courage to look him in the eyes. "Thank you."

"Hey… well… why don't you wait to thank me until you see what it is…" Naruto twitched. He was feeling really uncomfortable for some reason. "In case you don't like it or something." He coughed again, looking for something to cover his uneasiness. "You know, the box isn't the gift." He felt better, joking like that. "The gift is inside it." Did that sound moronic only to him?

Hinata tried to open the box, but dropped it. That had Naruto making a face and smacking himself in the forehead. "Here, let me help you. I forgot about your hands."

"It's OK, Naruto-kun…" Hinata kept struggling with the box. "I would like to do it." She couldn't explain to him how that would make things all the more special for her. "This…" There was a loud inrush of breath when she saw the small placard inside. "This is so…"

Naruto cringed. He expected to hear Hinata say 'ridiculous' or 'silly'.

"This is so wonderful." More tears raced down Hinata's cheeks. She ran one bandaged hand over the placard. "I had been watching the stars earlier… I had wished on one…" She didn't mention that her wish had come true.

"So, you mean you like it?" Naruto felt relieved. He found himself striking a seated pose, as if he was Lee or Gai.

"I love it, Naruto-kun." Hinata felt her face growing warm, having used the word 'love.'

Naruto felt very strange. Hinata's reaction had touched him. He liked the fact that he had made someone happy. That had him reaching inside his bag again. "I have others gifts too," he said. "I wasn't really certain. So…." He placed another gift in his hands and bowed.

"A-Another g-gift…" Hinata looked to be overwhelmed by an abundance of riches. "But you don't have to…" She shook her head.

"Huh?" Naruto instinctively spoke big. "Well you know, there are some girls that will refuse a gift one or two times before they finally take it." He shrugged. "Doesn't make sense to me. But then, neither do girls…"

"Alright," Hinata said. She smiled, able to talk this way with Naruto. In some ways, he didn't seem to have changed all that much. That was fine, since she had been carrying the same outdated image of him in her head and heart for more than two years. "The gift is on the inside, _right?"_

"Maybe you're smarter than I thought," Naruto said, suddenly realizing that he was feeling very relaxed. That was certainly a nice change!

Hinata opened the package. She smiled. "These look very nice, Naruto-kun. If you like, I'll share them with you." She offered him a cookie she had nibbled on. Blushing, she pulled it back and offered him a fresh one.

"Thank you." Naruto bowed, causing Hinata to giggle again. If her father had been there, she would have gotten an earful. Giggling was _not_ a noise made by Hyuugas, especially not those of the first house of the Main Branch.

Hinata set the second box aside, and tried to wipe her mouth on a handkerchief that kept falling from her bandaged hands. Naruto grabbed the cloth from her, and dabbed it on the corner of her mouth for her. That had them both coughing and looking away.

"One more, Ma'am." Naruto said, feeling gratified that this fancy stuff was coming easier by the moment. Too bad Granny Tsunade wasn't there to see it. She probably didn't think he had it in him.

Hinata opened the third gift. Her eyes went wide again, after seeing the item inside. This one was perfect too. How had Naruto been able to pick out things that touched her so well, without even knowing who might accept the gifts? Was that Fate? Should she take comfort in that, getting her hopes up?

"It's so beautiful, Naruto-kun…" Her voice cracked. "Its's so perfect, for tonight…" Bowing her head, she spoke a verse filled with emotion:

-

"_On the eternal  
Course of heaven's river,  
Over the upper shoals  
Spans the bridge of jewels;  
By the downstream shallows  
A boat floats ready;  
When rain falls  
Without a breath of wind  
And wind blows  
Without a drop of rain,  
"Not wetting your skirt,  
Don't wait, come to me!"  
I cross the bridge of jewels."_

_-_

"Well… hey… I don't know if it's _that _special…" Naruto tensed up some, not knowing how to feel in face of Hinata's reaction. "I mean… it's just jewelry…"

Hinata shook her head. It was certainly more than just jewelry for her. Fresh tears fell into the box she had just opened, leaving dark spots on the tissue paper within.

"Uhhh… I guess you must have liked them all, then…" Naruto put his hand behind his head and looked up at the night sky. He glanced at Hinata out of the corner of his eyes. He swallowed hard. Her eyes were luminous, reflected the moonlight. His heart skipped a beat. He could imagine her being some kind of creature from the folk tales he had heard as a child. Kitsune and other spirits took the form of women.

Kitsune. The Fox Women. That had Naruto looking over at his Lantern. Now that Hinata had accepted his gifts, the rest was a formality. He smiled. She had accepted his gifts. That suffocating mantle of shame was lifted away! He fought the urge to grab her hands, run with her through the dark, and parade her through the town.

"They are the most wonderful gifts that anyone has given me," Naruto-kun." Hinata's voice was barley audible. "Ever…"

"Oh… yes… good…" Naruto felt a lump in his throat. "Hey. We're not done yet, you know, Here we go." He picked up the fox Lantern and sat it down right in front of Hinata.

"It's so cute…" Hinata smiled, running her and over the Lantern.

"It's not…" Naruto had squared his shoulders, but let them slump back down again. "OK. It is. It's alright for it to be cute, now that it's a girl's."

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata smiled and shook her head. _Boys._

Naruto looked at the boxes flanking the glowing fox. He raised one eyebrow, his curiosity getting the best of him. "So… do you know what you want to name your star?"

"Ummm…" Hinata rubbed her bandages together, since she couldn't do the same thing with her fingers. "I…"

"It's alright if you don't," Naruto said, holding up his hands. I mean… how many people go around naming stars…"

"I do," Hinata said, blushing when those words slipped out.

"Huh?" Naruto looked at Hinata as if she had grown a second head. "You _do?" _He scratched his head. "Do you have a name picked out already?"

Hinata nodded. She looked up at the sky, but didn't say anything.

"Well?" Naruto felt anxious for some reason. He hated having to wait! There was that patience issue, again.

Hinata closed her eyes for a moment, and then shook her head.

"Come on, Hinata." Naruto began tapping one finger on the side of his thigh. "Give!"

Hinata shook her head again, brisker this time.

"**Shit!" **Naruto's eyes went wide. "Uhhh… _sorry_…" He tried to sound nonchalant. "So. Why won't you tell me. Not that it's a big deal or anything."

"It's a secret," Hinata said. It was. She didn't want to tell anyone, especially him. She might melt.

"Hey, that's…" Naruto clenched his fists. Girls were so aggravating! But, boys were clever. "Never mind. It's alright." He hung his head. "I guess I'm not the kind of person you can tell things like that too." he sighed.

"I…" Hinata wasn't stupid. She knew that Naruto must be trying to trick her. But, part of her wanted very much to tell him. It was a very small part, but very persuasive. For all she knew, this might be the chance she once hoped for. It might very well be the only chance she might ever have. "OK. I'll tell you." She looked up into his face. "Please don't laugh…"

"I promise," Naruto said. "It's my Ninja Way."

"The star I wished on tonight," Hinata said, needing to use every bit of her willpower to continue. "I think of it as Naruto-kun." She didn't add 'because it's so far away, and means so much to me.' Her face grew impossibly warm.

"**WHAT?" **Naruto jerked. That had caught him completely off guard. "But… _why?" _He stared at Hinata. "I hadn't even given you the gifts yet…"

"Ummm… if it's something you don't want…" Hinata's face grew troubled. " I didn't mean… if you wouldn't…" She hung her head, pausing for a while. "I won't make that official with the Registry. You might not want a shy dark weirdo naming a star after you…"

Naruto stared at Hinata again. He held out his hand and spoke very seriously. "Hinata, may I have the Lantern please?"

"Y-… Y-… You want it back…" Hinata felt her throat go dry. She knew that she shouldn't have told him!

Naruto took the Lantern. He stood up and held it close to her face, lighting up her features. "You're not dark, Hinata-chan." He placed the Lantern's handle around one of her hands. "It's OK to be shy." For some reason, it felt very important to reassure her this way. "And you have plenty of time to work on the weirdo part…"

"I…" Hinata made a face. That time it was Nauto's turn to chuckle.

"Didn't your mother tell you never to make faces like that?" He rocked back and forth enjoying his mirth. "It might freeze that way!"

"You can have your Lantern back," Hinata said. She smiled a shy smile. It was impossible not to.

"Really?" Naruto reached out his hand, but Hinata moved the Lantern out of his reach. He scratched his head. "Hey, Hinata. Why did you think about me when you were looking at the star?" He furrowed his brow. "And why that poetry stuff?"

Hinata felt a chill pass through her. She shouldn't be surprised that Naruto asked such an obvious question. She wondered if she had set herself up for this subconsciously. Just the same, she couldn't simply come out and say what she felt. Even if she could get a certain word or two out, that wouldn't begin to encompass everything that he had meant to her.

"When you were in the hospital… after going to bring Sasuke back… I visited you every day." Hinata felt as if it was difficult to breath. "But I only came in the room when I knew you were asleep."

"But…" Naruto wondered where this was going. He kept his mouth shut. He would let her say what she could.

"When you left the village with Jiraiya… I watched you go… hiding behind a telephone pole…" Hinata couldn't look Naruto in the face. "I was too shy to come out and say 'Good bye'."

"There _was_ someone there!" Naruto exclaimed. "I _knew_ it!" He had felt as if there was someone watching him. "But why would you want to watch me, Hinata-chan?" That just didn't make any sense to him.

"Because I've _always_ watched you, Naruto-kun." Hinata spoke so quietly that she needed to repeat what she had said.

"That's because I was your inspiration, right?" Naruto nodded his head, almost as if he wanted that to be the answer. He was beginning to feel somewhat edgy.

Hinata nodded. She opened her mouth, but was afraid to go on. How had she gotten this far as it was? Gathering up every bit of her strength, she pushed on. She had passed the Chuunin exams. She could do this. All she needed to do was keep thinking the words 'last chance' over and over again.

"Yes…" Hinata said. "When we were in the Academy." She looked down at her hands. One held the star pendant. "But… ummm… there was more…" There was no way that she could use the word 'crush.' "You stood up for me against Neji… I started liking myself more…" She wanted to say 'I started liking you more, too.'

"You were very brave," Naruto said. "At least, when you were backed in a corner."

"No," Hinata said, shaking her head. "Kiba told me to quit, if I faced up against my cousin or Gaara. I would have." She looked up at Naruto. "I couldn't… not with _you _watching…"

"Me?" Naruto asked. This had begun to sound like something more than simple inspiration.

"You helped Neji, too." Hinata's eyes were filled with adoration. "That helped me. I got to go home again." She thought about her family. "Father accepted me back, even though he showed my cousin more attention." She thought back to the arena. After her own match with Neji, she hadn't healed as much as the medical ninjas had hoped. She missed the climax of Naruto's match against her cousin. "You taught him a lesson he was too proud to learn from anyone else."

"Well, it wasn't as if I was really trying to do that." Naruto felt somewhat embarrassed. He wasn't as wonderful as she made him out to be. "I just stood up for what I believed in."

"I know," Hinata said, sighing. "That's your Ninja Way. You stand up for the people you care about, too." She felt a little more at ease, speaking about the things that she had seen or heard about on many occasions. "You helped my cousin. You helped that boy, Gaara. You saved Sakura. You brought back the Fifth Hokage. You went to bring back Sasuke." She hung her head, knowing that most be a sad subject with him.

"I didn't do too well on _that_ one, Hinata." Naruto ran a hand through his hair. "I couldn't bring myself to kill him, so I was at a disadvantage."

"But he didn't kill you either," Hinata insisted. "He could have; but, he didn't. That's probably because you reached him, too." She almost added 'because you're so wonderful.' Instead, she said "I… ummm… I was so worried for you when you were gone."

"You were probably worried for everyone," Naruto said, clearing his throat. _"Right?"_

"Yes," Hinata admitted. "But… ummm…not the same way." She pulled at a strand of her hair that had gotten free of the hair net. "I was very sad when you left the village to train. I didn't want you to go, even though I knew it was best for you." She marveled at the fact that she had talked this long and said this much. "When you were gone, I tried to be strong. I tried to get even stronger…" She paused. "Because of you. She paused even longer. "Always because of you…"

"Yeh… right… OK…" Naruto felt even more uncomfortable now. "I guess those are all good reasons to name a star after me." It seemed as if Hinata had come dangerously close to making some kind of confession. Even a dumb ass like him could begin to see what she might be feeling. He didn't know how he should feel,

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata sat up straighter. She hadn't come out and said what she felt directly, but she had done much better than she ever believed possible.

"What?" Naruto fidgeted. She wasn't expecting him to go all personal too, _was_ she?

"When we go back to the festival, will you be dancing?" Hinata looked away, feeling very shy again. "My mother taught me the Awa and Hanui. I… ummm… I could probably teach them to you…"

"Dancing?" Naruto twitched, hating when he did that. "Hey. Dancing is just kind of… well it's…" He made the mistake of looking at her face. Her eyes were so big. She looked like she might break into a million pieces if he said 'No.'

"It might be fun, Naruto-kun." Hinata couldn't cross her fingers, since the bandages were so tight.

"Hey, you know, if our friends are there…" Naruto could make this concession. "Then maybe we should be there too…" That did make sense. It would be nice to see his friends in a more light-hearted setting. "If." He probably did have some kind of obligation to her after all. He did offer his things to her. She did accept.

"If our friends are there," Hinata repeated. Feeling as if things couldn't possibly get any better, she looked down at the fox Lantern. "I never saw a lantern like this, Naruto-kun. Why did you choose a fox?"

Naruto immediately stiffened. His face must have changed dramatically, because Hinata looked worried. Looking down at the Lantern with an accusatory glance, he said "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that. It's a secret." He stood up. "We really should get going. Things will probably get started soon."

Hinata stood up, too. She gathered her gifts all together, hoping she could carry them all without losing anything. "May I put these in your bag, Naruto-kun? They won't all fit in my purse." She held back the jewelry, asking Naruto to place the pendant on a chain, and then put the necklace around her neck. He did so while sweating a bit.

"OK! Let's go!" Naruto looked more than ready to get moving again. When he started walking, Hinata stayed where she was. "Hey. Hinata. What's wrong?" He made a face. "You better not be expecting me to carry you or anything. It's just your hands."

"I told you my secret," Naruto-kun." Hinata bit her lip. She was afraid to say anything that might spoil the mood. But, while she never came out and said directly how she felt, she had given as many clues as she could. That had been very difficult for her. "After that… I guess I… ummm…"

"It's different," Naruto said, wanting Hinata to drop the subject. She couldn't possibly have any idea just _how_ different it was. "It's something I have to keep secret." He sighed. "You would be happier if you didn't know. Trust me." Part of him wanted to tell her. No, not merely her. Part of him wanted to tell everyone. In some ways, just getting the secret out in the open was the most important thing, even if more people ended up despising him.

"Naruto-kun… I would listen to any problem you have…" Hinata shuffled her feet some. "I… ummm… if I could help you somehow…"

"That's…" Naruto felt touched by Hinata's words. She really did want to help him. She didn't just want to do what was best for Konoha by doing what was best for 'the boy with the fox,' she wanted to do something for Uzumaki Naruto himself. "Thank you, Hinata-chan." He shook his head. "All those things you said about watching me. You might want to stop watching if you knew."

"No," Hinata said, shaking her head. She looked up at Naruto, a pleading look on her face. It always bothered her, not knowing what Naruto might be doing or how he might be feeling. Now, tonight, at this very moment, it mattered to her even more. "Never."

"It's easy to say that," Naruto said, feeling a strong feeling of trepidation to go along with temptation. "Because you don't know what _I_ do." Naruto clenched his fists. "Some people would accept it. Others would hate me." He spread his hands wide without thinking, a way of saying 'I don't want any of my friends to hate me.'

"Is this a secret you can keep forever?" Hinata asked. "Will I find out later?"

"It…" Naruto kicked at a rock embedded in the soil. "More people will probably find out." He thought about Akatsuki. When they moved, more shinobi would need to know the story.

"I see," Hinata said quietly. "Do you think poorly of me, Naruto-kun?" She was afraid of the answer she might get. "The way that Neji once did… the way that my father still does…" Why did she ask that? She was speaking way too much tonight. To Naruto of all people!

"No," Naruto said quickly. "This…" he turned away and walked off into the darkness, shaded from the bright moonlight and out of the range of the Lantern. He didn't want Hinata to get the wrong impression. But, this was more important than one girl's feelings. Tsunade and others had told him quite plainly, not to tell anyone who didn't need to know. But, that was one more reason to do it, then! He was tired of being told what to do. Especially today, after all the crap he had been through. "OK…" He walked back over to where Hinata was waiting. "This is stupid, but…"

Hinata felt herself trembling again. Naruto was willing to share some great secret with her. What did that mean? Did he trust her? Could he end up caring more about her than he did the other girls? She nodded, and then listened attentively.

"Hinata-chan, what did your father tell you about Kyuubi?" Naruto had to clear his throat. He was an idiot, doing this. But what else is new?

"The fox demon." Hinata's face looked eerie in the red light of the fox Lantern. "That's the greatest enemy of the Hyuuga clan." She shivered, thinking back to all of the tales that her father had told her. "When it attacked, almost the entire village was destroyed. Many shinobi died, fighting the monster. My grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts and uncles were lost, all except my father's brother who…" Hinata paused. Naruto already knew that story. "Many in the Hyuuga clan died. We were once one of the largest families."

Naruto watched Hinata's face. He promised himself to go ahead with things no matter what. Once he started something, he never liked to back down.

"The Fourth Hokage died, killing the Kyuubi." Hinata sighed. "Nothing can ever be as bad as that demon was." She looked over at Naruto. "Why did you ask me that, Naruto-kun?"

"Jiraiya told me that there are nine powerful demons known as Bijuu." Naruto said. "They are beasts of immense power, over-flowing with Chakra. Each Bijuu is identified by its number of tails. The One Tailed Demon , _Ichibi no Shukaku_, takes the form of a raccoon."

"Shukaku…" Hinata looked over at Naruto. She had heard about the Sand Demon. Was the monster that Naruto faced in the same category as the Kyuubi? How could Naruto have fought that battle to a standstill? No one ever told her much detail.

"Yes, the same Shukaku that the Sand sealed away inside Gaara." Naruto continued. "The Two Tailed Demon, _Nibi no Nekomata_, takes the form of a cat. The Three Tailed Demon, _Sanbi no Isonade_, takes the form of a horned shark. The Four Tailed Demon , _Yonbi no Sokou_, is part reptile and part rooster. The Five Tailed Demon, _Gobi no Houkou_, takes the form of a dog. The Six Tailed Demon, _Rokubi no Raijuu_, takes the form of weasel." Naruto rubbed the side of his nose. "Is this part boring you?"

"No," Hinata said, listening eagerly. She just liked to hear Naruto talk. Just the same, she couldn't figure out why he was talking about Tailed Beasts.

"The Seven Tailed Demon, _Shichibi no Kaku_, takes the form of a badger. The Eight Tailed Demon, _Hachibi no Hachimata_, also known as _Yamata no Orochi,_ takes the form of a snake. The more tails a Bijuu has, the more powerful it is. That has often been the case, when such creatures fought among themselves." He looked over at the Lantern. "The most powerful of all is the Nine Tailed Demon, _Kyuubi no Yoko."_

"Is?" Hinata's eyes grew wider. She looked frightened for a moment.

"Yes," Naruto replied. "Kyuubi was not killed. The older generations know that, and have kept it secret for good reason." He placed his hand over his abdomen and took a deep breath. "The Jinchuuriki are the hosts of these beasts. Such people are needed, because the only way to defeat the Bijuu is to seal them within a newborn baby."

"Babies…" Hinata brought her hand to her mouth. "That's so…"

"Right." Naruto nodded. "Terrible." He sighed. "But, it's just another way for someone to do his duty for the Leaf." He swallowed hard, hoping that Hinata would see things that way.

"I don't understand why you are telling me all this, Naruto-kun." Hinata happened to look at the fox Lantern. It made her feel afraid for some reason. There wasn't some kind of connection, was there? Naruto wasn't going to tell her what she now dreaded to hear, was he? He couldn't. He just couldn't!

"So," Naruto said, feeling a sick sensation in his gut. That wasn't caused by Kyuubi, directly. The look on Hinata's face almost made him stop, never to speak on the subject again. "When the Nine-Tailed fox attacked Konoha, the Fourth Hokage sealed it away behind the navel of a baby. That child grew up lonely, and many of the villagers treated him cruelly."

"The child…" Hinata felt a great pressure building up inside her. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, wanting time to stop.

"During a fight with the criminals Zabuza and Haku, the boy was able to use some of the chakra of demon, when he thought his teammate had been killed." Naruto felt somewhat tense. Hinata would have heard of at least some of the things he would relate. "The chakara of the Demon Fox helped him defeat his enemy that day. It saved his life abother time, when he was falling into a deep chasm, by making it possible to summon the Frog Boss." There would be no doubt who he was talking about when he made the final connection. "When he faced his opponent in the Chuunin exams, and was attacked with _Rokujuu Yonshou, _his inner coil system should have been shut down after the sixty-four tenketsu were touched."

Hinata took a few steps back. She shook her head. This couldn't be true. This couldn't be happening to her. Not tonight. Not tonight of all nights. Not after she had finally seen some rays of hope. Her special person could not be a monster!

"The orange chakra that swirled around me in the fight against Neji…" Naruto said. "…Was the demon's chakra. When I am in danger of a death that would kill him too, the fox will lend me what I need. That's how I was able to stand against Sasuke, even though he had a curse seal."

"No…" Hinata took a few more steps. "Please… no…" The urge to run and hide was overwhelming. This couldn't be true. He was Naruto. The boy she had watched forever. The one that she had come to love.

"Kyuubi is here, Hinata." Naruto pointed to his belly. "He is the reason I went off to train with Jiraiya."

Hinata stumbled and fell down. She quickly got back up again, pulled in so many different directions by her feelings. Even if there was a fox demon inside him, he was still Naruto. He wasn't any different then than he had been in the Academy, as a genin, or the day he left the village.

But, she couldn't help herself. It was too much. Her image of him was shattered, taking with it her greatest dreams. It had been terrible when her mother died. It had been awful when her father cast her aside. This was nearly as bad. In some ways, it was worse. It was all too much.

"I told you…" Naruto's heart sank like a lead weight as he watched Hinata disappear into the darkness of the forest. "Why did I think it would be any different…"

On a night filled with so many frustrations and disappointments, he had walked up here and discovered something by accident. Someone actually cared about him. There was a girl who actually thought he was special. Nothing may have ever come of it. But, something might have! Now, it never would.

"The story of my life…" He looked down at the fox Lantern.

So close, and yet so far.


	8. Beauty And The Beast

The moon shown down, cold and uncaring.

Naruto stood stiff and wooden, like one of the training posts. The darkness enveloped him. It wasn't just a darkness he could see, but one he could taste, hear, smell, and feel.

When Hinata had begun reacting badly to his confession, he had felt an acrid sour taste in his mouth. Now, his tongue feeling somewhat numb, he couldn't taste anything at all. He couldn't hear the blood rushing in his ears, or the whisper of the wind in the tops of the tallest trees. He couldn't feel the thump of the heart beneath his breast, or the cold bite of the breeze on his face.

The cologne that he wore… the smoke from the burnt out lantern… the fresh scent of pines… they might as well have been miles away. The darkness pushed further and further inward, relentless and unforgiving. Naruto squeezed the sides of his head between his hands, trying to forget the look he had briefly seen on Hinata's face.

"**I'm not a monster!"** He called that up at the moon.

Old memories sensed his weakness, and moved in for the kill. Various images teased him, taunted him, and tortured him. He remembered what it had been like when menacing adults towering above him, judging him in ways he had never understood. Looking around the clearing, the sight of the tall trees brought that memory into full flower.

"**They never tried to see who I was!"** This time he shouted at the trees.

Naruto fell hollow, as if Katsuyu 's acid was eating him away from the inside out. He remembered so many different days, so many different antics, and so many attempts to get attention from his classmates. He had never gotten that attention. No, that wasn't true. He had never won their respect or friendship until he became a genin.

But, there _had_ been someone watching him. Someone _had_ paid attention. That person had been through a lot of difficult times herself. She kept her sights on him, drawing inspiration from his struggles, and his attempts to get stronger.

"**I didn't know!"** He shouted off into the darkness, in the direction that Hinata had run.

Tears came to his eyes. Angrily, he shook his head. There was no place for tears in his life. If he cried every time things went bad for him, Konoha would be the center of some vast lake. He would _not_ cry. He had gotten strong. He had faced his problems. He had done what he could do to make the most of his life. That was reason to be proud, not sad.

He didn't feel proud. All of his accomplishments felt like stories written on a river. The flowing water carried everything away. The past was the past.

"_Why?"_ He looked up at the clouds, drifting serenely across the face of the moon. _"Why again?"_ He felt so alone and isolated, standing off in that darkened clearing. _"Why like this?"_ He had a lifetime of 'Whys' to ask.

The minutes that felt more like hours. He watched the clouds float past on their stately journey, envying envied peaceful existence. No one hated clouds. No one wished that they never existed.

"Not everybody hates me," he said, trying to shake away his sorrow. "I have a lot of precious friends, now." He tried to will himself to feel better. "That wasn't always true." Part of his mind whispered 'But your friends don't know about Kyuubi,' and 'Look what just happened with Hinata.'

That brought him up short. Hinata might just be an exception, _right? _She wasn't the first one who heard about Kyuubi. She wasn't the first one he knew who had lost family because of the demon's attack. This time, the memories came to his defense. He had been off in the woods, not too far from here, near a small storage shack. It was the day that he had learned Kage Bunshin:

"_I found the nose bleeder," Naruto said, smiling, remembering how his sensei had reacted to the Sexy No Jutsu._

"_Idiot, _I _found _you!"_ Iruka retorted._

"_I'm going to try an incredible skill. If I do it, let me graduate!" Naruto's failure at the genin examination had left him feeling down and alone._

"_Naruto, where did you get that scroll on your back?" Iruka looked worried._

"

_Misuki-sensei told me about it. He said that if I showed you the skill, I would definitely graduate." Naruto had been fooled. But, he didn't start to realize that until he saw what happened next._

_Iruka leaned back against the nearby shed, kunei surrounding him, and weapons protruding from his body._

"_Nice job finding him," Mizuki said to Iruka, taunting him._

_Naruto was shocked and confused. Why were the two shinobi fighting one another? Mizuki wanted the scroll._

"_Naruto, there is no point in you having it. I'll tell you the truth. Twelve years ago… you know about the demon fox being sealed, _right?"_ Mizuki smiled, ignoring Iruka's attempts to make him stop. "Since then, there's a new rule created for the village. This rule was never told to you."_

_Mizuki said that the rule was that no one could tell Naruto that he was the demon fox. He also said that Kyuubi was the monster that had killed Iruka's parents. The new rule was the reason that everybody lied to him……. the reason that everyone hated him…… _including_ Iruka._

_He told Naruto that it had been the scroll in his hands that had been used to seal him up._

_A large throwing star whirled his way, bringing with it his certain death. But, Iruka covered him, taking one of the weapon's points deep in his back._

"_Why?" Naruto asked._

_Iruka said that he had been just like Naruto. After his parents had died, he was alone, friendless, unwanted. No one complimented him or acknowledged what he said. He acted like an idiot to get people's attention, because he couldn't get recognition through his performance at school. He had been in so much pain._

"_I'm sorry, Naruto. If I had done a better job, you wouldn't have to feel like this."_

_Naruto ran, taking the scroll with him. Mizuki and Iruka followed, with the rogue ninja trying to fool Naruto by taking on Iruka's form. But, his sensei had taken on Naruto's form, negating the trick. Mizuki laughed at Iruka, saying that Naruto would use the demon fox's power. Iruka said that Naruto was different._

"_He isn't the demon fox any more… he's a member of the Hidden Leaf Village… he's Uzumaki Naruto!"_

_Mizuki would have killed the other shinobi then, using another giant star he had spinning in his hand. But, Naruto ran out and knocked aside the assailant._

"_If you touch Iruka-sensei... I'LL KILL YOU..."_

_Misuki didn't take him seriously. No one ever had, except Iruka. Naruto's anger and determination lead him to use Kage Bunshin, and he was successful beyond what anyone might have expected. One thousand angry clones lessoned Mizuki in the dangers of threatening Naruto's friend._

"_Naruto. Come over here. There is something I want to give you." Iruka gave Naruto his own forehead protector, tying it on for him. "Congratulations on your graduation. " _

Iruka had taken him for Ramen after that. It had been one of the best days of his life. His teacher could easily have hated him, knowing what he did. But, he became his friend instead. Despite the pain he now felt inside, Naruto couldn't help but smile remembering that whole incident.

He had shown great promise that day. He had learned a jounin level technique. The officials at the Academy added him to the genin class. That had been the start of better things.

"I wish that Hinata could have reacted the same way." He listened to the sound of his words, as his breath formed small clouds of vapor in the dropping temperature. He suddenly realized something: he had no idea how Iruka felt when he was first told about Kyuubi's location. If his friend had seen him at the same moment he heard that truth, he might well have reacted quite different.

Maybe she would come around, too. Perhaps things weren't as bleak as they seemed. Still, he had reason to feel bad. Once again, he had come close to something special, only to see it snatched away from him. It had been that way with Team Seven. At first, all he could do was trip over his own feet, pester Sakura, and fight with Sasuke. But, they had all grown closer. They had been through a lot together. They had become a team. It was almost like having a family. But, Sasuke had lost his family. His need for revenge was greater than his desire for friends. Tempted by Orochimaru and the Sound Four, he had left their team in shambles.

"Everything I touch seems to turn to shit…" He looked down at the Lantern and gift boxes. He frowned, feeling a surge of anger. Reaching into his weapons pouch, he took out a shuriken, reached back with his arm, and then snapped forward, hurling the metal star at one of the twinkling spots of light far overhead.

He hung his head. His claim had him remembering a story about a man who had similar problems, so to speak. What was his name? _King Midas!_ The guy hadn't been too wise. Maybe they had a lot in common, after all.

Midas rescued the favorite companion of the god Dionysos when the god had been too drunk to do so himself. In thanks, Dionysos granted him one wish. King Midas chose the ability to anything into gold by a simple touch, even though the god had counseled him against such a wish. He went around his palace and changed everything into gold, including his palace gates. After a while, he started to get hungry and thirsty but alas, everything changed into gold, including food and water. His servants tried to feed him, but that didn't work. Finally understanding that his wish wasn't wise, he begged Dionysos to relieve him from it. The god told him the cure, sending him to bathe in a certain spring.

"I wish there was such a place," Naruto said with a sigh. "It certainly wasn't the Women's Bath!" He clenched his teeth. That night had started bad and gotten worse. He almost wished that he was cursed to turn everything into shit. He's run through Granny Tsunade's office touching everything he could!

In another tale, Midas had been asked to serve as judge between Apollo, the god of music, and a satyr, Marsyas. Once again, he proved that he was not the sharpest sword on the rack! Unwisely, he proclaimed the satyr to be the winner. Apollo, offended, transformed Midas's ears into the ears of an ass. The poor king strove hard to keep his terrible secret from his subjects. His barber, knowing the secret, was threatened with a horrible death if he ever revealed it. The secret being too heavy, he dug a hole in the meadow and whispered into it. This is why, since then, the wind sounds like it says 'Midas has ass's ears' when it rustles the rushes.

Naruto put a hand to his own ears and then blushed. Why was he worried just about the ears? He had opened his big mouth. He had told a secret he had been ordered to keep to himself. Hinata probably hated him now.

He could imagine how she must feel, running through the dark woods alone, her long time dream shattered.

"Why am I just standing here?" Naruto shook his head in disgust. Hinata was off in the darkened forest alone, away from the path, without any light. The clouds were growing thicker by the minute. If she couldn't use the moon to guide her, she might end up getting hurt. If she got lost, and it took a while for her to make her way back, her family might become worried. ""She still might end up hating me. But, I have to try…" He relit the Lantern.

He started off moving cautiously, knowing that he couldn't do Hinata any good if he ran into a tree and knocked himself senseless, or stepped on something the wrong way, breaking his ankle. But, he had stood there lamenting his existence for far too long. He needed to make up for lost time.

Even with the Lantern, and occasional open spaces illuminated by moonlight, he couldn't see well enough to pick up visual cues like broken branches, footprints, or fragments of clothing. Stopping to listen, he heard nothing more than his own heavy breath and the occasional echoing call of an owl.

Again and again he ran in a series of dashes, coming close to injuring himself a number of times. One time when he stopped, he thought that he caught sound of faint footsteps. At first, that had him feeling excited. It would be Hinata. But, he couldn't be sure at that distance. Who could say it might not be some other lost and lonely soul? The possibility that the Hokage might have sent a spy to tail him throughout the night had him frowning. He couldn't rule out pickpockets or thieves. But, it was another thought that had him cursing.

It was highly unlikely; but, he should try to consider every possibility: what if Akatsuki had people roaming through the dark and secluded areas of the village, waiting any opportunity to grab him and spirit him away?

"**Crap!"** He narrowed his eyes, thinking. There just might be some way to put things in his favor, no matter what situation he faced. It certainly wouldn't hurt, being able to move swifter. He would benefit from enhanced senses. "It could backfire…"

Hinata might already think of him as a monster. If he could find a way to do what he planned, it might cement that image in her mind forever. But, he had to put her welfare ahead of his own. That's what a Hokage would do.

Could he make it happen? He wasn't cornered or fighting for his life. How would he convince his unwilling benefactor to help him?

"All I can do is try." Naruto sat down on a large fallen tree. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and turned his senses and thoughts inward. He had to focus. This wasn't going to be easy.

Eventually, he found himself in a well illuminated hallway, its walls damp and its floor showing occasional patches of water. He had been here before. He knew the way. A musky odor grew stronger and stronger as he strode forcefully along. There was no time for temerity. He couldn't afford to show any weakness or indecision.

He ended up at a set of enormous metal bars. The inside of the vast cage was dark, but he didn't need any light to know what was held within. Vast expirations of breath sounded much like the wind had before.

"Hey, bastard fox! Wake the hell up. We have a problem." Naruto put his hands on his hips. No, it wasn't exactly a polite entreaty. But, Kyuubi admired spirit, not good manners.

"**WHAT REASON COULD POSSIBLY BRING TO SEEK ME OUT AGAIN? COME THROUGH THE BARS. WHISPER IT INTO MY EAR."**

A horrible sepulchral chuckling rumbled throughout the hallways. Naruto girdled his loins, mentally. He knew that this approach was not without its risks. But realistically, what could Kyuubi do to him other than frighten him or refuse his demands? "I don't want to find out," he whispered to himself.

Huge claws slid out through the available spaces between the bars. Any one of them could have skewered him the way the cooks speared squid at his favorite seafood stall. A great set of teeth emerged from the darkness, as the Nine-Tailed demon stuck his jaws against the cage.

Naruto looked into the huge eye, seeing his own tiny reflection. Making a face, he folded his arms across his chest, letting the fox Lantern dangle against him. He took a few steps forward, pressing his luck.

"Go ahead. Take a swipe. Maybe I'll just climb into your mouth for you." Naruto spoke with a great deal more bravado than he felt. "Wonder what that will do. Kill me? You go down too! Make me insane? They'll kill me then, to make sure no one can get you."

His words carried the undeniable sound of logic. That had the Demon Fox snarling, seeing that it couldn't torture the one whose body he was trapped in.

"Speak louder," Naruto said, suddenly feeling cocky. "My ears aren't as big as yours."

"**SOMEDAY, WE'LL HAVE AN ACCOUNTING, INSECT. ON THAT DAY, YOU WILL SUFFER UNIMAGINABLE TORMENT FOR YOUR INSOLENCE. BUT TODAY, I SHALL ONCE AGAIN REWARD YOUR BOLDNESS."**

"It's probably my taste in Lanterns," Naruto said. That had Kyuubi snorting, the wind of his putrid breath knocking the young ninja head over heals.

His mind turned outward again. Imperceptibly slow, he felt some kind of change beginning. It spread outward from his abdomen to reach the furthest reaches of his body. Before he knew it, the process took off like lightning. Crouching down close to the ground, he watched as his fingers grew longer and then formed into claws. He had to toss away his sandals when his feet began doing the same thing. Looking out at the woodlands surrounding him, he marveled at how his vision improved. Better yet, his sense of smell magnified many times, and his hearing became unbelievably sharp.

Smiling, he felt fangs caress his lips. The Kyuubi chakra coursing through him, he felt drunk, the heady feeling causing him to laugh and shout a challenge at the night itself.

Looking upward, he saw large slants of moonlight that had passed through openings in the cloud cover and forest canopy. It was a surreal sight.

It was time to move. Quickly and with great purpose. Hearing the sound again, he began running, kicking up leaves and soil from his clawed feet. At times he ran on two legs, and at other times on all four limbs, the Lantern trailing from a string he had tied around his neck.

Leaping… bounding… wheeling… sliding… he hurled rock outcrops, slid down slopes and fallen trees, an crashed through heavy thickets. He called out a nonverbal challenge involuntarily, when he sensed that the other had picked up speed too. If this was a race, he was determined to win.

Faster and faster he ran. He felt his blood singing in his veins. He blew out huge puffs of breath as he pushed himself to the limit, unconcerned about the risks that he took. There was a heavy sound. The prey had fallen to the ground! After a few more bounds he made a prodigious leap, one that should carry him to within feet of his quarry.

Landing, he snarled, ready to fight. If it was an enemy, he would learn too late just what kind of foe he had followed. Arms raised for attack, he slid to an abrupt halt. His enhanced sense of smell had picked something up: perfume.

It was not just any perfume. He had smelled many that night, but one had stuck out in his memory. It was simple, but very pleasant. Hinata's. He poised on the balls of his feet, ready to move again if necessary. "Hinata? Is that _you, _Hinata-chan?" Could it really be her? Might it be someone who had her captive? The sound had been headed back to the clearing early in his hunting.

"N-N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata's voice carried a slight touch of fear. She had heard a number of terrible howls as she had run. When she had decided to turn back and find Naruto, she had worried for him more than she worried for herself.

"Yes…" Naruto tried to tone down his animal instincts. He was finding it hard to speak and regain his full reasoning capacity. "It's me…" His breath was still coming fast, and the hair at the base of his neck was still standing on end. "I found you…" he kept repeating to himself that Hinata was his friend, not his prey.

There was an awkward period of silence. Hinata was listening to the beating of her heart. Naruto, with his keen hearing, heard that heartbeat, too. She had been running alright. He could smell her sweat. He could smell something else. It was something that had him licking his lips. _Blood._

"Naruto-kun… are you…do you wish to hurt me?" Hinata wasn't certain why she asked that. Naruto had never shown any signs of hurting his friends before. Just because she knew about the youma now, did not mean that Naruto had suddenly become some kind of beast. But, the sound of a body crashing through the forest had set her nerves on edge.

"**No!" **The word burst out of Naruto. His entire body twitched, as if he had been hit by a strong electrical attack. _"Never."_

There was the sound of leaves rustling. Hinata was trying to get back to her feet. She moaned, in pain. "Do you still have the Lantern, Naruto-kun?" She gasped. "I need to look at my leg."

"I have it," Naruto answered. "But I won't light it myself." He ran his tongue over his teeth. He accidentally drew blood. His canine teeth were still fangs. "I'll leave it here for you." He moved a few steps forward, discerned her exact location, and then placed the fox shape near her hand.

He retreated. There was no way that he could let Hinata see him the way he was. How long would it take for the effect to wear off? Turning inward, he intended to find out. In no time, he was back in front of Kyuubi's cage.

"**FIRST YOU CAME SEEKING GIFTS. NOW WISH TO RETURN THEM. IT IS NOT AS EASY AS THAT. MY GENEROSITY SHOULD NEVER BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED."**

Returning to his normal state of mind, Naruto fought the desire to howl in frustration. That damned fox! That mangy, cantankerous, blood-thirsty, evil son of a bitch!

What should he have expected? Kyuubi was no happier with his situation that Naruto was with his own. As much as it pained him to admit it, the demon was right. He should never look a gift fox in the mouth.

"Why don't you wish to light the Lantern, Naruto-kun?" Hinata's voice carried pain with it this time. "Is it because I ran from you? Did I hurt you? You don't wish to ever see me again?"

"That's not it, Hinata-chan." Naruto said. "It _did_ hurt. But, I can understand how you must have felt." He paused. "Were you coming back to see me before I spooked you into fleeing?"

"Yes," Hinata said. "I… ummm… I'm sorry I left, Naruto-kun!" her voice cracked. "I thought my whole world had vanished. I couldn't stand there with you, even though you always meant so much to me, even after you had given me so many nice gifts."

Naruto sat down on his haunches, feeling somewhat relieved. Hinata didn't hate him. That was important to him. It was one thing to have people that never got a chance to know him treat him with fear and hatred. It would be an altogether different thing to have someone he thought of a friend turn away from him.

"It was still you, Naruto-kun…" Hinata said. "I… ummm… I knew that when I took time to think…" She spoke somewhat quieter. "I would understand if you were ashamed of me… and if… ummm… you…"

"It's alright," Naruto said. "You've already done more than anyone else who ran away." That was truly amazing in its own right. Hinata had been shocked down to her very core, seeing a childhood nightmare come to life. Her whole clan hated the Kyuubi, but she had been able to overcome her fear. "You were coming back."

Things became quiet again. Naruto berated himself when he realized that Hinata was hurt, and he had done nothing to help her. "_Here. _You'll need some matches, too." He touched his teeth again. Still fangs.

"You won't light the Lantern for me?" Hinata asked. "My hands… I will try…" She gasped again.

"I'm sorry, Hinata." Sitting there in the dark, wondering just how badly Hinata had injured herself, Naruto felt like a coward. She had already shown him that she was willing to care about him despite what she had found out. "I just don't think you should see my face right now." Did he think that she would run again if she saw his face? Was his pride the problem.

"If… ummm… if you've been crying, it's OK. I was." Hinata said. "I won't think poorly of you, Naruto-kun.

"It's not that…" Naruto sighed. "OK. But, I have to warn you. You won't like what you see." he tried to open the box of matches with his claws. He fumbled the entire box. **_"Shit!"_**

"What's wrong, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

"I dropped the matches," Naruto said. "It's hard for me to handle them right now. My hands…"

"Here. I'll help you find them." Hinata's voice was followed by the sound of a hand moving through the dry leaves on the forest floor. "Ohhh…" Hinata's hand had moved from leaves to a soft patch of moss. After that, it had touched Naruto's clawed hand. The nails were long, cold, and very sharp.

"Yes," Naruto said in a low voice. A rattling sound showed that he had come upon the match box. "It gets worse." He struck the first match he didn't break or drop. When the small stick of wood blazed to life, he held it up to his face. "Not a pretty sight…"

Hinata brought a hand to her mouth. Her eyes grew impossibly large. She swallowed hard, repeatedly, until her mouth felt as dry as the leaves she sat on. The urge to run and hide was strong, but she fought it.

"I hope you don't hate me, seeing me like this." Naruto felt a lump in his throat. "I'm not a monster. Kyuubi's chakra doesn't always change me like this." He spoke in a rush, feeling a great need to get his point across. "I was in a hurry to find you before you got hurt. I was worried there might be someone else out here with you."

"I could never hate you, Naruto-kun." Hinata shyly reached a hand towards Naruto's face and brought it Back again. When he told her it was OK, she reached out again and placed a finger on Naruto's fang, and then his lips. "Does it hurt?" She cried out in pain herself, when she moved her leg.

"No. I'm fine, Hinata-chan." He bit his lip, not a wise move when one has teeth that sharp. Gasping himself, he was very glad that Kyuubi chakra allowed him to heal so quickly. "I'm an idiot, letting you sit there in pain. That's what's important right now." he lit another match, and then used that to bring the fox Lantern back to life. "Let's get a look now…"

The light shone down on Hinata's calf. There was a nasty gash there, oozing a fair amount of blood. It wasn't very deep, but it was long.

"I'll need that cream of yours again," Naruto said after carefully probing the wound. "I'm afraid I'll have to take the bandages off your hands. There the only ones I have." He found himself staring at her legs. She realized that and moved to cover them with her kimono, exposing her long formal undergarment in the process. " I could tear up your hadajuban and use that."

"_Naruto-kun!" _Hinata felt her face grow warm. "You… ummm…you don't have to act like such a beast."

"Huh?" Naruto stopped unwinding bandages for a moment. "Was that a joke?" he raised one eyebrow. "From _you?"_

"Well… you _do_ look like a beast, Naruto-kun…" Hinata lowered her eyes a moment. It felt wrong to stare at him for so long. She smiled, thinking of a different story that she had been told as a child.

"What?" Naruto made a face. He had seen the faraway look in Hinata's eyes.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

"You were thinking of something. There was this look on your face." He frowned. If she said something like 'you really don't look that much worse than usual,' he might use one of the bandages on her mouth. What was the world coming to when Hyuuga Hinata began making fun of how people looked? Actually, as he had noticed before, that wasn't a fair question. He looked at her face again, trying to act as if he wasn't.

"Is… is there something on my face, Naruto-kun?" Hinata put her hand to her cheek. "Did I scrape myself there, too?"

"Don't change the subject, Hinata." Naruto smiled. That effectively changed the subject.

"Beauty and the Beast," Hinata said.

"Huh? What?" Naruto used one hand to scratch his head. That was another thing that should wait until his form had returned to normal! "I know I'm kind of good looking; but, you're not so bad."

"Very funny, Naruto-kun." Hinata made a face. That almost set Naruto off again. "Is that what you've learned, training with a Legendary Sannin?" She grinned. "Beauty and the Beast is a story. The hero was transformed into a beast. But, on the inside, he was still human."

"I'm a beast on the inside too, Hinata-chan." It was Naruto's turn to make a face. "You know what I mean." He scratched his belly.

"You have Kyuubi inside you, Naruto-kun." Hinata felt her eyes well with tears. "You are not Kyuubi. But people may have treated you like you were." A tear ran down her face, followed by two more. For a while, she had done just that.

Hinata remembered seeing the master sword-makers of the Hyuuga clan at work before, when she was younger and her father took her with him to survey the family's various holdings. She remembered how heat was used to temper the steel. Did the struggles that Naruto was forced to live through do the same thing for his character?

"What happened to the Beast in your story, Hinata-chan?" Naruto had the bandages off of Hinata's hands. Very carefully, he began to place them on her injured leg.

"There are more than one versions of the tale," Hinata said. She had never read the original foreign work by Gabrielle Susan Barbot de Gallan de Villeneuves, or the far shorter reworking by Madame Le Prince de Beaumont. She had never skimmed through any of the countless tales of animal bridegrooms that had been inspired by that first triumph of imagination. But, her mother had told her any number of tales based on the same theme. "In one story…" She stopped, blushing. Naruto's hands were very high on her leg.

"Hinata?" Naruto wondered why she had stopped. "Am I hurting you?" He looked closer at her leg. He swallowed, when his thoughts changed from that of a makeshift medic to that of a young man. There really hadn't been any desire or opportunity to do something like this three years ago. So, he couldn't tell how those legs had changed. They were long and shapely now. He could see that much!

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata took the bag that Naruto brought with him and sat it on her lap, covering the topmost portion of her legs. That had Naruto looking sheepish at first. Soon thereafter he smiled an impish smile.

"I didn't know that they made hadajubans in pink." Naruto tried to sound nonchalant. "Naturally I don't know much about things like _that_." He grinned again. "I believe that kind of clothing is made to add padding around the waist or breast area." He patted himself on the chest and hips.

"_N-N-Naruto-kun!" _Hinata turned so read, that the change was obvious even in the orange light of the fox Lantern.

"Going to finish telling me about that story now, Hinata-chan?" Naruto found that he enjoyed teasing Hinata. "Unless you'd rather discuss kimonos and under-thingies…"

"That's enough, Naruto-kun." Hinata made a very cross face. "In one story, the woman leaves the Beast all alone." She paused, letting that sink in. "But, she comes back to him and he turns into a prince again, instead of dying."

"OK. Sounds just like a woman." Naruto struck a seated pose. He worked the silence that time. "What happened in some of the other versions?"

"Well… ummm…" Hinata twiddled her fingers, grimacing when that caused her pain. "In one story, it was a kiss that made the Beast change back into a man…" Both she and Naruto looked at one another… froze… and then quickly looked away.

"It's just a story, though." Naruto coughed to clear his throat.

"Yes," Hinata said, fixing her hairnet.

"I just thought of a different story," Naruto said. "It has a good message for both of us." he smirked. "It has nothing to do with pink hadajubans." He watched Hinata's face. She was getting better at this. She ignored him this time.

"What story is that, Naruto-kun?" Hinata took out her box of fruit and cookies and offered it to Naruto. She apologized, remembering that his hands were not best suited to the task of fishing out any treats at that moment. Blushing, she placed a candied plum on his palm.

"In a nearby land, there was a couple that wished for a child. They wished for a child for a very long time. They wished so hard, that they finally wished for a child of any kind, even if he was only an inch tall. Their wish was granted. The woman became pregnant and gave birth, and sure enough, the boy she had grew no taller than one inch." Naruto plopped the fruit in his mouth and swallowed. He didn't risk chewing, having savaged his lips enough times already. "They named him Issun-Boshi, meaning One Inch Boy. One day, Issun-Boshi decided he wanted to see the world. His parents wanted Issun-Boshi to have a good life so they gave him a bowl, chopsticks and a needle he could use as a sword. They waved goodbye."

Naruto continued working with the bandages.

Hinata smiled, even though she was sitting on the forest floor in her late mother's best kimono, her injured leg being tended to by a boy who carried the clan's worst enemy behind his navel.

"When Issun-Boshi came to the city, he was taken into care of a nobleman and was made the servant for the princess. Issun-Boshi and the princes became good friends." Naruto continued his tale, not realizing yet that he had begun to transform back to normal. "One day, on their way back from a nearby temple, they were stopped by a large green Oni. The princess thought she was doomed for sure. She was certain that there was nothing One Inch Boy could possibly do to save her. But that boy acted quickly. He climbed the Oni quickly, and poked it hard in the tongue with his sword. It screamed with pain, but laughed when it saw the cause of its discomfort. It also didn't think that there was much a one inch boy could do. He swallowed Issun-Boshi."

Naruto stopped, and held his thumb up, looking at Hinata.

"What?" Hinata asked.

"Just measuring. You _are _bigger than an inch." Naruto brushed off his robe, and then resumed his work on Hinata's leg.

"Very funny, Naruto-kun." Hinata brushed a pine cone off of her kimono. It had barely missed hitting her on the head. "Before you left the village, you were shorter than me."

"Some people get better with age," Naruto said, scowling. That sounded just like something the perverted Frog Hermit would say. "Anyway, the One Inch Boy cut his way out of the demon's stomach, causing it to howl in pain and run away. The princess was saved! Feeling grateful to her rescuer, she made a wish. 'I wish for Issun-Boshi to grow tall.' The princess squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again. The boy was still one inch tall. But slowly, inch by inch, Issun-Bosh grew taller until he was the size of a full grown man. He and the princess were married and they lived together happily for the rest of their lives."

Naruto looked at Hinata's leg. He clipped the bandages in place. "So, were you smart enough to guess the moral of the story?"

"Ummm…" Hinata thought. She surprised herself by deciding to tease Naruto. "The boy was shorter than the girl at first. But, because she wanted him to get taller, he did."

"No." Naruto frowned. He knew that Hinata wasn't being serious.

"Hmmm…" Hinata thought again. "The boy married the girl who cared about him even when he was short." The moment the words left her lips, Hinata swallowed hard. Where had _that _come from?

"No. Not that either." Naruto felt a chill run up and down his spine. Rubbing the back of his neck, he realized that his hands were back to normal. He smiled in relief. "The princess thought she was doomed because Issun-Boshi wasn't very tall. But, he fought off the demon and saved her. It's like the saying, 'don't judge a book by its cover.'"

"Why _that_ moral, Naruto-kun?" Hinata tried to stand with Naruto's help. Her leg still hurt, but she could walk slowly.

"You used to be pretty short, Hinata-chan. Even though I came to think that you were the kind of person I could like, I still didn't think you'd turn out to be much, seeing how shy you were." Naruto shrugged. "You never met anyone's eyes, and were always hiding behind something." He looked her in the eyes. "But, tonight, you found out something that could have made you give up." He pulled a leaf off of her kimono and handed it to her. "But, you didn't." There was a clear sound of respect in his voice.

"Oh…" Hinata blushed. She wasn't used to anyone other than Kurenai complimenting her. "I thought bad of you when I heard your secret, Naruto-kun. But, you're still a good book."

"Do I get a happy ending?" Naruto asked. He was smiling, but deep inside he felt somewhat queasy again. With Akatsuki after him, he really wished that he knew the answer.

"I hope so, Naruto-kun." Hinata suddenly felt very shy again. "I guess we should get going. You don't have to wait form me. You can still make it to the dancing if you leave on your own."

"No way," Naruto said. "I'm the one who caused you to get hurt, in a way. So, that makes it my duty to take care of you." He picked up the Lantern and handed it to Hinata. "Besides, You took my Lantern, didn't you?"

"Yes," Hinata said, feeling very grateful.

"So, once you get up on my shoulders, I can give you a piggy-back ride." Naruto chuckled. He was joking, but would really do that if Hinata wanted him to. "We'll be make it to the Medical Center in no time. Unless you wanting to go to the dances sitting on my shoulders…"

"OK," Hinata said, blushing. She couldn't believe that she had said that. There was no doubt what her father would say if he ever caught wind of it.

"_Really?" _Naruto stared at Hinata as if seeing her for the first time. "Good for you! You really _are_ someone I could like." That had both of them looking at the nearest tee, even though each of them knew what he meant. "Can you walk up that rock there? If you can, you can climb on real easy, without hurting your leg."

"I'll try," Hinata said. She managed to do just that, while Naruto held the Lantern, the bag, and her purse. When they headed down the path, she asked "Can the Kyuubi ever get out, Naruto-kun?" Now that she was no longer afraid. She found herself growing very curious.

"Not as long as the seal holds," Naruto replied. "There have been times when people have been worried about that. But so far, it's only been the demon fox's chakra that can come out." he didn't mention that Akatsuki might have found away to remove the youma, or otherwise make use of its great power.

"Ummm… can the Kyuubi influence what you do…" Hinata asked.

"Yes," Naruto said in a serious voice. "He's very partial to pink underwear." When Hinata remained silent, he continued. "No, he can't. He can lend me chakra when I need it… if I'm in danger… or if he likes my nerve. He let have me some tonight so I could find you."

"Ohhh…" Hinata ducked when Naruto walked under low hanging cedar branches.

"Sorry, Hinata-chan." Naruto apologized.

"Do you ever feel like… ummm…" Hinata tried to find the right words. She didn't want to insult Naruto or make him feel defensive or embarrassed. "Do you ever do things that an animal might do?"

"Huh?" Naruto made a face. Who did she think he was, Akamaru? "Well, I often pee all over the toilet seat; but, that's not because of Kyuubi." _That _ought to teach her! "No, I don't find myself doing anything a normal person wouldn't do. The only time I ever have animal instincts is when I was in that form you saw before. I haven't done that many times."

"Do you have to return to your training sight soon, Naruto-kun." Hinata bit her lip. That had come out as little more than a squeak.

"Yes," Naruto said. "My sensei gave me a list of things I had to do after the festival. When I'm finished, I will need to head back."

"I see," Hinata couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice. "Maybe I can ask the Hokage to have another festival." She was only half joking.

"Don't… you… dare…" Naruto said, stopping for a moment. "Don't even joke about such things."

"You didn't enjoy this festival, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, feeling a slight twinge of nervousness. She hoped that he had enjoyed his time with her, even if he never wanted to do something similar in the future.

"It got better, later." Naruto said, not bothering to elucidate. Hinata should know what he meant. "But it sure started off bad. The walk was a bitch. So were Old lady Tsunade, Anko, and Kurenai." He cringed. That hadn't been the wisest thing to say.

"Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata asked. "What did you have to do with her?"

"It was the Hokage's idea." Naruto said. He thought about his time in the Women's bath. It hadn't tuned out to be the opportunity he had hoped for. "I don't think you really want to know."

"I can always ask _her, _Naruto-kun." Hinata began to see some of the village lights through the trees. "It's not another secret, _is_ it?"

"No," Naruto said. He smiled. It might be fun to tell her after all. "Granny Tsunade had Anko and your sensei take me to the barber, and shopping for my robes and sandals." He grimaced. He has stubbed his toe on a rock. He had forgotten to take his footwear back out of his pouch after changing back. "I between, they took me to the baths."

"The Hokage wouldn't trust you to go by yourself, Naruto-kun?" Hinata smiled. Tsunade was very wise. "How did they know you didn't sneak out of the Men's bath?"

"Because they didn't take me to the Men's bath," Naruto said. It sounded funny now in retrospect, but it had not been a laughing matter at the time. "They brought me inside the Women's baths."

"That's not very funny, Naruto-kun." Hinata said.

"Tell me about it," Naruto said. "But I'm not joking. They chased all of the women out and made me use the bathing pools." He smiled. "They didn't want to join me in the men's baths." He frowned. "It would have been embarrassing either way. My towel kept falling off."

"…" Hinata made a strange inarticulate noise.

"It was nerve-racking," Naruto admitted. "Getting naked in such a big open place." He hurdled a tree that had fallen over the path. "It was especially stressful, since I think the two of them were peeking!"

"…" Hinata made a sound like a fish out of water. "…"

"Hinata-chan," Naruto said, an impish sound in his voice. "Would _you_ have peeked?"

"**Eep!" **Hinata loosened her hold, leaning backwards. She almost fell off and caused Naruto to stumble. "P-P-Put me down…"

"Hey… wait a minute… it was just a joke, Hinata." Naruto didn't slow down. "I think it was pretty funny!"

"I don't," Hinata said. Just the same, for the briefest of instants, she imagined what just such a scene might have looked like. That had her closing her eyes tight, blushing, and making her fish noise again.

"Any way, I got pretty pissed, as you might imagine." Naruto chuckled. "When I was getting out of the bathing pool, I walked in front of them. I must have had a cramp, because I ended up accidentally mooning them." The emphasis on 'accidentally' made it clear that he had done things on purpose. "They weren't very happy."

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata sighed.

"Well, they might have left it at that. But, the two of them began chasing me. When I stepped on the loose end of my towel, it all came off again." Naruto trotted along the moonlit path, reminiscing. "Then the two of them started chasing after me." Now the lights of the village were very easy to see. "Maybe because I told them I was going to run off."

"!" Hinata shook her head. Naruto was supposed to be more mature. He was still doing the same kind of pranks.

"What a sight that must have been, two jounin kunoichi chasing after a naked genin." Naruto laughed. "They were even more pissed when I led them into the Men's bath, and then blocked the door out with a few dozen naked clones." He smiled. "There were a lot of applause coming from inside, though. I think the guys enjoyed their visit."

"Kurenai-sensei…" Hinata bit her lip. She could imagine what might happen if Kiba ever caught wind of this.

"They broke the door down," Naruto said. "They didn't look too happy." They hadn't been. He had some bruises to show for it. "When Anko decided to smack on me a bit, an elderly couple walked by. You should have seen the look on their faces." He came to a halt. "One of them looked familiar. I hope she wasn't a council woman."

"All this…" Hinata said. "Because of a bath…"

"Yup!" Naruto said. It was funny now. Then, it had been mortifying. But, things always sounded better in the retelling. "Amazing, right?" He felt the urge to tease Hinata again. "If you ask Granny Tsuande for another festival and she agrees, maybe you can take your sensei's place next time."

"Please put me down, Naruto-kun?" Hinata said.

"_Huh?" _Naruto said.

"I would like to get down," Hinata replied. "I'll walk. By myself." She slid off of his back, wincing when her injured leg hit the path. Without saying another word, she began hobbling along, carrying the Lantern and her other things.

"Hey! You shouldn't do that!" Naruto practically shouted. "You're hurt."

Hinata didn't say anything. She kept limping along. The heart of the village was in plain view. She could make it. She was shinobi.

"Wait! I guess I went a little too far." Naruto walked at Hinata's side, grimacing every time her heard a gasp of pain. "I apologize, Hinata-chan."

Hinata kept walking. She didn't even look at Naruto. That, naturally, didn't sit too well with him.

"Fine. I'm a generous guy. When we bathe, I'll let _you_ have the towel." He knew that he had poured kerosene on the fire. But, he couldn't help himself. Watching as Hinata tried to move even faster, he tried another tack. "You know, 'Naruto-kun' is a nice name for a star."

Hinata slowed, but didn't speak or look at Naruto.

"And that pendant looks very nice on you," Naruto offered. He smiled when Hinata slowed even more. "It was nice sharing cookies with you. And talking."

Hinata stopped. But, she turned her back on Naruto. She wasn't convinced yet.

"You know…" Naruto was going to say something else nice, but stopped. He knew he was to blame. Still, he was not in the mood to be taught any kind of lesson from another woman. Especially not Hyuuga Hinata. "I promise not to tell any of the other guys the color of your hadajuban."

"**Mmmpphh!" **After making that noise, Hinata began walking again, faster than ever. She came close to falling a number of times.

"Does that mean you _want_ me to tell them?" Naruto kept pace. He felt bad when Hinata stopped, put down the Lantern, and continue on her way. The glowing fox shape looked lonely, sitting in the middle of the trail. "Hinata, wait up!" Grabbing the Lantern he ran.

Naruto promised himself to behave. It wasn't funny any more. Watching how Hinata moved, he could tell that she was in a great deal of pain. The wound on her leg must be more than a serous scrape. She might have a lot of bruising too.

"Hinata…stop…" He ran in front of her, walking backwards. "You're hurt…" He slowed down, but she just tried to walk around him. "Let me help you…" He began to sound very anxious. _"Please…"_

"Does that mean that you care about me, Naruto-kun?" Hinata stopped. "Just a little?" There was a strange look in her eyes.

"Well… you know… I mean…" Naruto felt even more anxious, but in a different way. Just what was she asking?

Hinata began walking again.

"Hey… stop… wait…" Naruto said. "I guess I do…"

Hinata stopped. She turned to look at Naruto. "You're not… ummm… saying that just to make me feel better…"

"Well… you see… I…" Naruto sighed. "No. I'm not."

"OK," Hinata said. "I'll let you help me walk, then." Hinata tried to look and sound dignified. It was hard to keep a smile off of her face.

"…" Naruto scratched his head. He stood still a moment, and then made a face. "Wait a minute!" He clenched his fists. "Was that some kind of trick to make me admit… well… you know…"

"It's a secret, Naruto-kun." Hinata took the Lantern from him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**THE END**


	9. Epilogue

The streets in that part of the village were no longer crowded.

Most of the revelers had made there way to the central square, to take part in the dancing, or act as a spectator to the grand event

"You can't keep walking like that, Hinata-chan," Naruto said sternly.

"If this were a mission, I might have to." Hinata continued to limp along, content to lean up against Naruto. "I… ummm… I won't ride on your shoulders out in the open."

"This is _not_ a mission, Hinata. It's a festival." The irony escaped Naruto. When he had his meeting with Tsunade, he couldn't help but see the whole thing as a pointless and bothersome assignment. "If it was a mission, I would be carrying you, and wouldn't listen to another word about it."

"Naruto-kun, if this were a mission, with only… ummm… you and I…" Hinata paused. She certainly like the fact that he was being kind and considerate. But, she also found herself needing to chide him in return, after all that she had put up with. "The chuunin would be the one giving the instructions…" She watched him out of the corner of her eye. "The genin would be the one obeying…"

"_What?" _Naruto stopped. He made a very sour face. "What did you say?" He threw out his chest, instinctively trying to intimidate Hinata.

"I heard Kurenai-sensei talking to Kakashi the other day," Hinata said. "She brought up the fact that… well… you're the only one of us who hasn't made Chuunin yet."

"**Great!" **Naruto struck an indignant pose. "Thanks for bringing it up." He folded his arms across his chest. _"Just _the kind of thing to put me in a festive mood." He grumbled under his breath when he saw Hinata work to push some of her neck-length hair under her crystal-hung hair net.

"I can walk, Naruto-kun." Hinata was adamant. She didn't want to appear weak in front of him. She had done that one time too many, that evening.

"_Girls! _Can't live with them… can't live without them…" Naruto grimaced. That was another one of Jiraiya's sayings. That perverted hermit was rubbing off on him.

Walking a bit further, the two shinobi took in the sights of the village. The colorful lanterns made the night look like something out of a dream or the perfect postcard. The scent of food long since cooked still floated on the gentle evening breeze. A few small dogs ran here and there, tugging fallen decorations behind them.

"Hey! That's perfect!" Naruto took off running, calling himself all sorts of names when he realized that he still hadn't put his sandals back on. "There's a number of these things spread around." He went to the rear of a large two-wheeled cart. "No one will need it until the festival is over." It was one of the push wagons used by crews to collect garbage.

"Naruto-kun? What's that for?" Hinata eyed the cart suspiciously. She had a sinking feeling that she knew why he had brought the ramshackle thing back with him. The words 'Sanitation Department' were stenciled on the darkly stained wood in large yellow letters.

"Strong and healthy genin push the cart," Naruto said with a smug voice. "Wounded chuunin ride _in_ the cart." He smiled one of his trademark smiles, his eyes squeezed shut. "Hop on up."

"Th-That's…" Hinata shook her head. "That's a garbage cart, Naruto-kun."

"Really?" Naruto scratched his head, and then stared at the side of the contrivance. "What do you know? You're absolutely right! Getting to name a star must make a girl pretty smart."

"I'm… ummm… I'm _not_ riding in that." Hinata was not usually a forceful person. But, as quiet as she usually was, she was not going to sit by and have him push her around the town in a refuse wagon. It wasn't dignified. Worse, it would shatter her private little feeling of romance.

"OK," Naruto said. Unceremoniously, he took the Lantern and gift bag from Hinata and sat them in the cart. "I'll use the cart to carry these." He then walked around behind Hinata, picking her up in his arms. "If you're really the type of person I can like, you'll sit next to them to make certain they don't fall over."

"Naruto-kun… put me down…" Hinata couldn't struggle, not with her injured leg. If she tried some kind of jutsu, she might hurt Naruto or herself. "You're acting like a Beast again."

"You got hurt because of me," Naruto said with a haughty lift of his chin. "So, you'll get better because of me." He grunted, trying to find the most comfortable way of carrying Hinata. "That's my Ninja way!"

"Naruto-kun… I asked you to put me down…" Hinata blushed, seeing a number of people walking back from one of the ceremonies. They were all looking over in their direction. One elderly man gave Naruto a 'V' sign.

"Well, if you had asked Hinata-chan, I might have listened." Naruto said. "But, you ordered me to put you down. You really _ought_ to know better than that by now." He swallowed hard. Her perfume was distracting him again. That, and she felt pleasantly soft in his arms, kimono and all. He grinned a wicked grin. "I'll give you two choices. You can ride in the cart, or I'll carry you like this all of the way to the Hospital." He whispered in her ear. "If I carry you, _everyone_ will know about the pink hadajuban."

"…" Hinata opened her mouth to reply, but knew that wouldn't make things any better. She folded her hands in her lap when Naruto deposited her in the front of the cart. Secretly, she admitted to herself that things were much more comfortable this way, when he began pushing her along. The cobblestones used for the older sections of the street and sidewalk had been making her wound ache something fierce.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto kept the cart moving, picking up speed whenever the slope went downhill. "There are still some of the ladies with the snacks." He pointed to a group of elderly women bringing trays of festival food out of one of the well-lit houses. "I'll get you some." He whistled, waved his arms, and then called out.

"Naruto-kun… I'm not really hungry…" Hinata wasn't willing to shout to make herself heard.

"**Just hold on!" **Naruto began running towards the matrons. _"Injured shinobi here!" _His calling mobilized all of the women, who looked on with a mixture of interest and concren. Some, seeing a speeding cart with a glowing fox Lantern took a step back in fear. "Girl in a cart. We deliver!"

"!" Hinata hid her face in her hands. Honestly! One moment, Naruto can be the sweetest or bravest person in the village. The next, he could be the loudest or most impulsive. He could be a clever as a fox, or as clueless as they came.

Naruto slid to a rather ostentatious stop. The wagon rocked and almost tipped over. When he explained that he was helping Hinata to the Medical Center, the women all hovered around her like a mother cat around her kittens.

One woman pointed at the writing on the side of the cart, but the others hurried to shush her, saying that gallantry was rare in this day and age.

"Hinata?" One woman put down her tray and stared. _"Hyuuga Hinata?" _She walked closer. "Bless my stars, it _is_ you!" The kindly townswoman lived in a house bordering the Hyuuga compound.

Hinata tried to slide out of view. Well and truly caught, she politely greeted her neighbor.

"So… is this your young man?" The woman looked over at Naruto and smiled. "He looks so strong… and you did a good job of dressing him up…" She chuckled, seeing Hinata turn red and Naruto find a good reason to duck down and check the axles of the cart.

"He… ummm… you see…" Hinata would have run and hid that time, if her leg wasn't stiff and sore. "I… he's a friend… ummm… a shinobi like me…" No one looked willing to accept her denial. They asked so many questions that her head was left spinning.

"I recognize him," one woman said, giving Naruto a rather critical eye. "I'm _sure_ of it." She went to speak with some of her friends, who soon went off to talk with others.

"Miss Hinata, I think I should have a word with you." The woman who had sized up Naruto bend over to speak in Hinata's ear. "He's not a good boy for you to be around… trust me, there are things I would tell you if could."

"She's right," another woman added, speaking in a hushed voice. "I wouldn't let any daughter of mine anywhere _near_ him."

Hinata opened her mouth to brush off those comments, wanting to saying how wonderful Naruto was. She had thought that she had it tough, when her father cast her aside. He had to face the judgment of so many people.

"It's alright," Naruto said sadly, shaking his head. "Let's just go…" he had heard everything.

Hinata bit her lip, feeling a sense of anger growing in her. "I know about the Kyuubi." She heard a combined inrush of breath and startled whispering. "The Nine-Tailed Fox was the demon, not Naruto." She shocked them all by shaking her finger at them. "He's not a monster. He's a hero. He didn't ask to have this responsibility." She looked over at Naruto, who stood stone-faced. "I'm very proud of him. If people don't want to thank him, at least they should try to understand him." She felt herself trembling. "I'm ashamed of all of you." That was quite a speech for her.

"Hinata-chan." Naruto stared at Hinata, his mouth open. "Thank you. That was pretty heroic, too."

"Could we go now," Hinata said. She felt better a little better, hearing some of the women offer apologies to the two of them as they left.

"Right away, Ma'am." Naruto began pushing again, grunting when they headed uphill.

Hinata leaned back. If she tried hard enough, she could imagine that she was in some kind of fancy coach or carriage, just like those in the stories she had been read as a young girl. Before she knew it, she began taking in the scenery, waving back and anyone who called out or waved at her. Looking up at the clouds hanging over the village, she smiled. In some ways, this was indeed a magical night. Once again, she was moved to verse. This time, her heart had a different inspiration.

_-_

_Clouds appear  
and bring to men a chance to rest  
from looking at the moon_

_-_

"Here we go again," Naruto said, hearing Hinata. He smiled. She sounded happy. That was a good thing, seeing everything she had been through tonight, and all of the hardships that she had faced in her life. It made him feel proud, some way, knowing that he had somehow contributed to that happiness.

The bells at one of the temples began sounding. That was the signal that the largest of the dances were about to begin. Hinata sighed, wishing that she could attend. It wasn't so much that she wanted to dance herself. It would have been exciting to see the professional dancers who would put on a show before the general session took place. Looking over at Naruto, she smiled. If she had to chose one place or the other, she'd rather be here, riding in a garbage cart pushed by him.

_-_

_Temple bells die out.  
The fragrant blossoms remain.  
A perfect evening!_

_-_

"How you doing up there, Hinata-chan?" Naruto sounded a bit winded. "We're almost there!" He smacked himself in the head, wondering why he had been so stupid. _"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu." _He hopped up next to Hinata after giving the task of pushing the wagon over to the gaggle of clones. It was a rather remarkable looking procession, drawing the rapt attention of anyone left on that particular avenue.

"I'm doing fine, Naruto-kun." Hinata smiled a shy smile. "Thanks to you." She blushed when his hand accidentally brushed up against hers. She looked up at the sky again, watching as the moon emerged for a short while. "Maybe the moon goddess helped, too." She grinned at her little joke.

"Huh? _What_ moon goddess?" Naruto scratched one ear. With everything else he had heard, he wouldn't be surprised if the festival had another goddess, hero, or monster.

"I guess… ummm… one has to be a chuunin to know about her…" Hinata blinked rapidly, amused at her own temerity. "It's a story from another nation, one that traditionally celebrates a Moon Festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, in observance of bountiful Autumn harvests." She smiled, seeing the look that Naruto gave her. He was 'festivalled-out.' She wasn't, though. "Although the old rituals are no longer followed, families there continue to gather for a day to relax and eat moon cakes. They often tell this story:

"_Once upon a time there was a famous archer, Hou Yi, who with his arrows was able to slay mankind's worst enemies, ferocious beasts that inhabited the earth. Yi was married to Chang-O, a beautiful but inquisitive woman who had been an attendant of the queen mother of the west before her marriage. _

_Now at this time, there were 10 suns that took turns circling the earth-one every 10 days. One day, all 10 of the orbs circled, together, causing the earth's surface to burn and threatening mankind. The wise emperor of China summoned Yi and commanded him to kill but one of the suns. This Yi proceeded to do. _

_Upon the completion of his task, Yi was rewarded with a pill, the elixir of life, and advised: "make no haste to swallow this pill, but first prepare yourself with prayer and fasting for a year." Being a wise man, Yi took the pill home and hid it under a rafter while he began healing his spirit, In the midst of this, Yi was summoned again by the emperor. _

_While her husband was gone, Chang-O noticed a beam of white light beckoning from the rafter. She followed it and a fragrant perfume, discovered the pill and swallowed it. Immediately, Chang-O found she could fly. Just at that moment her husband returned home, realize what had happened and began to reprimand his wife. Chang-O flew out the window into the sky. _

_Yi sped after her, bow in hand, and the pursuit continued halfway across the heavens. Finally, Yi had to return to the earth because of the force of the wind. _

_His wife reached the moon and there, breathless, she coughed and part of the pill fell from her mouth. Now, the hare was already on the moon and Chang-O commanded the animal to take pestle and mortar and pound another pill so that she return to earth and her husband. The hare is still pounding. _

_As for Yi, he built himself a palace in the sun as Yang, while Chang-O is Yin._

_Once a year, on the 15th day of the full moon, Yi visits his wife. That is why the moon is full and beautiful on that night."_

"Well, I guess that story is better than the one where that Maud guy had to rescue his mother." Naruto thought back to Shikamaru's tale about the origin of the Bon. He wasn't in the mood to think about starving women who looked like leeches. "But, it's not as good as the story about Hidesato." He folded his arms over his chest. "I might have told you that one, except you made _another_ chuunin crack." He made a face. "Your loss."

Hinata smiled and looked down at her injured hands. They still hurt. So did her leg. But, sitting there with Naruto, the pain didn't seem as bad as it otherwise might.

"Besides, I already heard a story similar to yours," Naruto said. "From Ero-sennin." He yawned and told the clones to step up the pace. He could see the front of the Hospital now. "It was Chang-E, _not_ Chang-O. She was a beautiful young girl working in the Jade Emperor's palace in heaven, where immortals, good people and fairies lived. One day, she accidentally broke a precious porcelain jar. Angered, the Jade Emperor banished her to live on earth, where ordinary people lived. She could return to the Heaven, if she contributed a valuable service on earth. _Chang-E_…" He paused. "Not Chang-O…"

"I _know, _Naruto-kun." Hinata sounded a touch exasperated. That caught her by surprise. It had Naruto laughing and saluting her.

"Chang-E was transformed into a member of a poor farming family. When she was eighteen, she met a young hunter named Hou Yi… you got that part right, and all of the stuff about the ten moons…" Naruto pulled a twig off of Hinata's kimono. "But, the two of them got married _after_ he became a hero, not before. And, when she tried to flee, King Hou Yi tried to shoot her down with arrows, and the Queen Mother punished her by turning her into a three-legged toad. That's why it looks like there's a toad on the moon."

Hinata sat quietly. She wasn't surprised that a story told by the Frog Hermit told had a toad in it.

"You were right about the rabbit too," Naruto said, looking up at the moon. "Almost." He brushed off the sleeves of his robe in dramatic fashion. "He was supposed to be grinding rice, not trying to help Chang-E return to some guy that was trying his best to turn her into a pin cushion." Naruto sat uncomfortably for a moment, remembering the fight with Haku. "I don't know why there are so many rabbits in stories about the moon."

"_That's _why," Hinata said, pointing up at the moon. While doing so, the wagon his a bump, and she fell into Naruto's arms. Swallowing hard, she made no attempt to get up. "See… ummm… that shape there, on the left… ummm… it looks like a rabbit. People in many nations believe that."

"OK." Naruto had to cough to clear his throat. Hinata's weight wasn't really bothering him, but he was very much aware of her. "You're right." He wasn't certain whether he should squirm out from under her or stay just like that. "I can see that." He decided that there was no need to embarrass her by making some kind of scene.

"There are also two similar stories that associate a rabbit with the moon." Hinata looked over at the Medical Center. As soon as they reached it, the moment would have to end. "In one, Buddha places him there as payment for a favor after the Rabbit voluntarily gave himself as food for one of Buddha's hungry friends. In another, a rabbit, with nothing else to offer a weary Indra, jumped into a fire, cooking himself for the deity . Out of gratitude, Indra placed the rabbit in the moon."

"Doesn't exactly sound like the greatest reward in the world to me." Naruto shook his head. "Unless they filled one of the craters with Ramen." He stood up in the cart, almost causing it to topple over. "Some of you guys run ahead and open the doors. The rest of you, up the steps and into the building!" He was not going to have Hinata walk up all those steps.

"But… Naruto-kun…" Hinata soon found herself bouncing up and down as the wagon wheels went over the steps. Her voice was vibrating. "We-_we-we _prob-_prob-prob _ably-_ly-ly _should-_should-should _not-_not-not _bring a dirty cart into the Medical Building."

"Too late now," Naruto said, jumping off to run over to the front desk. A number of the clones tried to slow down unsuccessfully, running into each other and falling down like dominoes. The entire arrival made quite a racket.

"**_WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"_**

Tsunade stormed into the reception area, having headed over from one of the ceremonies to round with Shizune and some of the other medical ninjas. She was still dressed in her fanciful robes and the enormous towering traditional headgear.

"Good! You can tell them to find someone to help Hinata." Naruto sounded as if _he_ was the one in charge of the medical staff. "She's hurt. I bet she would like to see some of the dancing. If they hurry up and do their job, she might be able to."

"You can't bring a filthy garbage cart into a hospital!" The vein on Tsunade's head looked like it was ready to burst.

"I didn't have time to find a clean one!" Naruto was not about to back down from the angry Sannin. She dragged his ass all the way to Konoha. She told him he had to attend the festival, wear the paper kimono, fold origami cranes, and all that stuff. She had him very close to suffering the most humiliating night of his life, carrying that Lantern through the streets.

The two of them stood glowering at one another. As they did so, Shizune led Hinata into one of the small treatment rooms in the back of the Medical Center.

"That sounded like Naruto." It was Sakura's voice. "What's a garbage wagon doing in the hospital?" She had gotten into her work clothes, the fun and merriment of the night over for her.

"I tried to stop them," Naruto said with a smirk. He nodded over at the clones. "It's so hard to find good help these days." He folded his arms over his chest. The clones began disappearing in puffs of smoke.

"What happened to Hinata?" Tsunade asked, motioning for the hospital guards to roll the cart back outside. "There isn't any kind of enemy infiltration underway, _is_ there?"

"Hinata?" Sakura looked around the room, but Hinata had already passed from view. "Did _she_ accept your Lantern?" She cringed when she saw her sensei's look. She ought to know better than to interupt her by now.

"No, Old Lady. Not that I saw." Naruto scratched his head. "I was worried about that before, myself..." He stuck out his lower lip. "...When _somebody_ forced me to come back to the village, possibly walking into somebody _else's_ trap."

"**Listen brat!" **Tsunade raised a single finger. That was threat enough. "Tell me about Hinata." She forced herself to keep her temper. Walking around in her ceremonial garb had given her one heck of a headache.

"Well, she's about _this_ tall…" Naruto held his arm out, hand parallel to the ground. "Cute girl… indigo hair… white eyes…" He had built up a lot of frustration and resentment earlier in the evening. This was just the tip of the iceberg. "Still a bit shy…"

Sakura and Tsunade looked at one another, shook their heads, and let out long sighs. The mannerisms were so similar, that Naruto started chuckling. He stopped when the two of them began rolling up their sleeves.

He was in the mood to be flippant, not suicidal. He remembered hearing a story from Jiraiya, about the worst injuries he had suffered in his life. They hadn't come from an enemy… they came from a teammate. He had tried to peek at Tsunade at an onsen. She broke broth of his arms and ruptured a number of internal organs.

"I gave Hinata my gifts and my Lantern. We were alone together out at the training grounds." Naruto looked over at Sakura. He had to be careful what he said with her there. "She ran off into the woods by herself and got hurt. I found her, bandaged her up as best I could, and then brought her to the hospital."

"You didn't try anything funny with her, _did_ you?" Sakura began turning red in the face. Her 'Inner Sakura' looked like it was ready to chew steel and spit kunai. "Is _that_ why she ran? Because you got fresh?" She looked over at the Hokage.

"I worried about sending you to train with Jiraiya." Tsunade scrutinized Naruto's face. "But I don't think that you'd do something like that."She narrowed her eyes. The sound of her next words caused everyone with earshot to shiver. _"Did _you?"

"I had my fill with Anko and Kurenai at the baths," Naruto said, making a face. Granny Tsunade ought to know him better than that! By the look on Sakura's face, she must have heard that story. "I told her about… you know…" He looked the Hokage straight in the eyes, and then pointed to his abdomen.

"**YOU PIG!" **Sakura balled up a fist, ready to knock Naruto across the room.

"He was pointing at his belly," Tsunade said, bringing a hand to her forehead. She needed an aspirin. No, a couple of bottles of pain killer.

"Oh…" Sakura blushed. The 'Inner Sakura' rubbed her fingers together, looking embarrassed.

"_Sakura-chan!" _Naruto put his hands on his hips. "Where did you think I was pointing?" He looked back at Tsunade. "And they say that the Frog Hermit is a pervert." He smiled, hearing Sakura growl.

"Why don't you find where Shizune took Hinata, and see if she needs any help." Tsunade's words to her apprentice were an obvious dismissal. When Sakura had left, she turned her attention on Naruto. "What in Akatsuki's name made you tell the girl _that?"_

"You know… pretty girl… moonlit night… quiet talking… good way to break the ice." Naruto put a hand behind his head, looking more serious. "She told me her greatest secret." He swallowed hard, seeing a knowing look in the Hokage's eyes. "I wanted to tell someone about mine." He lowered his eyes. Clenching his fists, he fought of feelings of anger, loneliness, fatigue, and general orneriness. "I was tired of having to keep it hidden from everyone I care about."

"So, did it make you feel better telling someone?" Tsunade arched one eyebrow, feeling a smile tugging at her lips. "Did it make you feel better, telling it to _her?" _She had hoped that he would take something away from the festival. It looks like her hopes were not in vain.

"Hey! Why should anything like _that_ make a difference?" Naruto scowled and ran a hand through his hair. "It's not like I'm hurting or anything." The echo of those words in his mind had him thinking back to the meeting in the Hokage's office earlier that day. He let out a long breath. "Yes."

"Maybe you'll listen to me next time." Tsunade said, holding out little hope for that. "Maybe I know something after all."

"Maybe," Naruto admitted grudgingly. "Don't let it go to your head." He smiled a shy smile. "It's big enough already." He pointed to the towering ceremonial hat.

"Don't remind me." Tsunade made a pitiful face. "Now what…" She looked over at the main entrance.

Naruto turned to see what had caught Tsunade's eye. It was Shino, dressed in fanciful robes with a large deep cowl. He was helping someone into the medical facilities. It was Kiba. He was holding a bag of ice over one side of his face.

"What happened?" Tsunade asked, Naruto momentarily forgotten. "He didn't get into a fight, _did _he?"

"No," Shino replied. "He gave a Lantern to one girl, and a kiss to another."

"**AR_OOOOO_-OOOO_-OOO-_OO_-O…"_**

Akamaru's plaintive howl sounded outside from the street. That sound drowned out a series of moans. They had not come form Kiba. Another couple of ninjas had just walked in.

"You'll be alright, Shikamaru." Choji helped his best friend over to where everyone else was standing. "I'm sorry. It's my fault. Those beef skewers were so good."

Shikamaru looked the worse for wear. He was walking with a limp, had a swollen jaw, and favored one arm.

"What happened?" Naruto asked. "Get caught between Choji and the food vendor?" It looked like he was not the only one to have his own little adventure that night.

"No," Choji said. "He got between Temari and Ino." He hung his head. "I was supposed to keep Ino away from Temari tonight. But, when Shikamaru took her to the food booths..."

"He's a genius?" Naruto stared at Shikamaru. "Even I know better than to do something like _that."_

"**AR_OOO_-OOO-_OOO_-OOO-_OOO_-OOO-_OOO_-OOO-_OOO_-OOO…"**

"Is that Akamaru?" Sakura came over to perform triage, having heard that more patients had arrived. She was surprised to see so many of her friends standing there.

"No," Naruto said. "I think that was Lee this time." He grinned.

"Naruto…" Sakura stiffened. She had done her best to be kind to Lee that night. But, she had long since had her fill of his nonsense. A festival is no place for training kicks, shadow boxing, or running in place!

"Good one… _ow-w-w-w-w_…" Kiba moaned again. It hurt to smile. "Speak of the devil…"

"More?" Tsunade looked flabbergasted. There were two more shinobi, both of them wearing green robes.

"Ma'am… Gai-sensei needs assistance…" Lee supported his team leader, who was clutching at his belly, a look of excruciating pain on his face. "Hang in there, Gai-sensei. The Hokage will be able to help you."

"Did he have too much to drink?" Tsunade furrowed her brow. If that was the case, he needed to find some place to sleep things off and sober up. But, while the jounin was no stranger to excess, he did not have a habit of heavy drinking.

"No," Lee said, looking somewhat embarrassed for his teacher. "Too much to eat." He helped Gai over to a seat, watching as a nurse stopped by to see if he needed anything. "It was a contest with Kakashi. _Oshinko. _Pickled Chinese cabbage."

"Who won?" Naruto asked. Then he narrowed his eyes. "And who watched." He could easily picture Kakashi standing calmly by, chopsticks in one hand and his _Icha Icha _book in the other. But, how could he eat without taking his mask down?

"Kakashi." Lee hung his head. "The two of them went into a tent alone, under their own power. The Copy Ninja walked out on his own. I found Master Gai writhing on the floor."

"_Oooooo-_oooo_-ooo-_oo_-o_… Kakashi… my age old rival… this latest indignity is too much to stomach." Gai had not meant it as a joke. Lee gave Naruto a cross look when his friend started snickering.

Not long after that, Hinata came back out, shocked to find a growing crowd of people that she knew. She wondered why Gai moaned like he did when Naruto asked her if she wanted to go for some pickled cabbage.

"I'd rather go watch some of the dancing, if I may." Hinata walked over and retrieved her Lantern and her bag. "I feel a lot better now, but Shizune says I will not be able to take part."

"We could do the piggy back thing again, if you like." Naruto grinned. "I'm strong enough."

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata blushed. Everyone was staring at them. _"Shhhh-hhh-hh-h."_

"Maybe the festival wasn't such a good idea after all." Tsunade sighed.

Everyone spoke up at once.

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**END**


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